^t^tj^iy//.=A^ 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



CHRISTIAN CONSIDERATIONS; 



OR, 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS 

■ lor €kx^ lag in i\t |m. 
.FATHER CRASSET, S.J. 



TRANSLATED MOlI THE PEENCH, 
BY MRS. ANNA H. DORSEY. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION, 

BY REV. C. WALWORTH. 



Ci.r-', 



IfToF 



X IB 71 



XEW YORK: 
PUBI^ISHED BY P. O ' S H K A 
104 BLEECKER & 183 GREENE STS. 
1864. 



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trtered, according to Act of Congress? m tJe jeuT IS^^f- 
By p. O'Shea, 

ill the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Southern District of New York. 



X 4 I 1 



\ 



INTRODUCTION. 



There is great difference between a book for meditation, a book of medita- 
tions, and a meditation-book. The first simply suggests thoughts worthy 
of spiritual reflection; the second contains meditations in form, or model 
exercises of mental prayer already developed and perfected; the third is a 
practical helper and prompter to the soul that would practise mental prayer. 
Of tlie first class, the imitation of Christ is the master-piece, and stands un- 
rivalled. .Books of meditations abound, and excellent ones too, but of medi- 
tation-books we know of none which seem to us to fulfil their purpose, ex- 
cept this work of Father Crasset. Other authors, no doubt, have aimed at 
the same end, but so far as our acquaintance goes, the most successful can 
be said to have done little more than present good spiritual reading to the 
public in form of meditations. The aspirant to mental prayer who kneels 
down with such books before him, finds each thought presented to his mind 
developed and complete, and nothing is left for his own mind to do. The 
words of the author, if they have point and unction, may go to his heart 
and do him good, but not otherwise than any good book of spiritual read- 
ing. He may rise from his knees a better man, but he has not made a 
meditation. 

It is .not so with these ** Considerations" of Crasset. Their excellence con- 
sists in this, that they are eminently suggestive. They never exhaust any 
thought, but simply propose it in such strong and striking terras, and with 
such a wonderful animation and depth of feeling, that the attention is ar- 
rested, the mind is interested, and put forward at once upon a train of re- 
flection. They have, besides this, all that same deep meaning, that earnest- 
ness, that expressive simplicity, that unction, that semblance of inspiration, 
which illuminate the pages only of those privileged writers, whose own 
souls have first been illuminated by close converse with God. Long exer- 
cise in meditation made Father Crasset the interior man he was, and gave 
him unquestionably his peculiar power as an author. The elasticity, fresh- 
ness, and freedom from servile constraint of method which characterize his 
meditations, may be owing in part to another cause. His contemplative 
spirit was for a long time subjected to unskilful hands, which endeavored to 
compress it into a narrow and mechanical system of meditation, and so 
barely escaped destroying it. This at least taught him to appreciate after- 
wards the ditficulties of others, and to understand how important it is to 
leave God room to talk to souls after his own way. We repeat once more, 
for those who aspire, not simply to read meditations, but to practise mental 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

prayer, this work of Father Crasset is the book of books. Like the gulden 
seutences of Thomas a Kempis, his meditations have no sameness, never 
weary. Each point is like a wide gate, whence a world of pathways sepa- 
rate: you may enter again and again, follow a new path at every visit, and 
gather each time fresh flowers and new fruits of contemplation. 

It is proper to say something here of the author's personal history, and 
yet we regret to say that we have no materials at hand, except the meagre 
account in " Feller's Biographical Dictionary," and some»indistinct reminis- 
cences of his interior trials, which we cannot now bring back to shape and 
certainty for want of time and opportunity. 

We are barely able to state that Father Jean Cra^et was a member of 
the Society of Jesus, that he was born at Dieppe, in France, and that lie 
died in the year 1692. The germ of this present work was a small treatise 
published in Paris, entitled Methode dorauon, to which was appended a few 
meditations, ai-ranged for every day in the month, with some spiritual can- 
ticles. Encouraged by the success of this little work, he increased the 
number of meditations, and published them again under the title of 
Nouvelle forme de Meditations, dec. This again being enlarged and more 
perfectly sj'stematized, appeared once more in 1683 in its present form, and 
under the title which it still retains — Consider ations Chretiennes. We have 
no doubt that, appearing now in its English dress, it will acquire the same 
popularity as in the French and German tongues, and take its place among 
us as the standard book of its class. 

With regard to the translation, we gladly yield place to the excellent and 
talented ladj^ who made it. " If the translation is deficient in elegance," 
go she speaks to the publisher, " it has at least the merit of being a faithful 
one, which is, perhaps, after all of more importance. Some few of these 
Meditations are selected from an old copy of the work {JVouvelle ferine de 
Meditations) published in 1673, being preferred on account of their brevity 
and superior force of expression, presenting, however, the same subjects for 
consideration. The portions of which the translation is abridged, are not 
at all connected with the order of the Meditations for the days of the year; 
being Meditations on the Lives of the Saints, detached Meditations on the 
Gospels, and selections from the ' Following of Christ.' The Meditations 
on the Gospels just alluded to, are generally a mere repetition or summary of 
those which follow each Sunday, To have included all these would have 
made too large a book for general use. In conclusion, I can only say, sim- 
ply and sincerely, that I wish most earnestly that the work had been un- 
dertaken by some one more capable of performing it well." We think the 
reader will not agree to all that Mrs. Dorsey says. He will not concur in 
wishing that the work had fallen into other hands, or judge it to be want- 
ijig in the accomplishments of style. He will not say that the peculiar 
merit of tlie translation lies in an extreme fidelity to the original, but 
I'ather in not sacrificing to it the graces of our English tongue, which she 
lias at such admirable command. We are all indebted to the pious lady that 
made this translation. It was not undertaken for pride or profit ; it is an 
ofiering of devotion. May that beneficent hand which holds all blessings 
give a rich benediction to the fair translator, while it blesses the book and 
the reader ! 

C. W. 



THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



There are many persons advanced in prayer who cannot use long medi- 
tations ; some because they have not time enough to read them, others 
because the\' have too little memory to retain them. Besides this, when 
the mind sees already done for it what it had to do, and finds without trou- 
ble what it should have sought for by its own reflections, it becomes negli- 
gent and slothful, and loses itself in the vast territories opened before it. 
On the other hand, where there is only a little matter given to meditate on, 
it is retained without difficulty, digested with profit, and enjoyed all the 
more tiiat every laborer loves his own work, and takes delight in what cost 
him something to make. The hunter who has been a long time looking up 
his game, feels a great joy when he discovers it. It is the same with our 
minds ; a truth which cost the soul some labor in the finding, makes more 
impression than a hundred others presented to it ready found. Besides, it 
recognizes better the influence of grace when, after journeying like a pil- 
grim in a barren desert, it sees at length descending from heaven the celes- 
tial manna which is to be its food, and water flowing in abundance from 
the rocks to quench its thirst. 

It will not do to load up the mind with too much matter, any more than 
the stomach with too much food. It hinders digestion. For this reason, 
St. Ignatius, that great man of prayer, in his Book of Exercises, gives very 
short meditations, and the farther we advance the less matter he presents 
for consideration, in order that the soul may place her confidence in God, 
ask light from Him, look to Him for help, apply the power He gives, and 
so recognize how little she has of her own, in order to humble herself, and 
for what she receives of God to thank Him for it. The kingdom of 
heaven is likened to a grain of mustard seed, a very little thing to be sure, 
but when bruised and beaten, it heats the stomach, and even draws tears 
from the eyes. It is the same with short points of meditation ; when well 
masticated and digested, they kindle the fii»e of devotion, and draw from 
the heart tears of sorrow, penance and love. 

There is every diflerence between reading and meditation. One who 
reads a book ought to understand it without pain or labor; the truth it 
presents ought to be apparent, without his being obliged to look it up. But 
wlien one meditates, he is expected to dig for himself in the Gospel field, 
and find tliere, by his own reflections, what treasures of grace are to enrich 
him, and the living waters which must quench his thirst. It is true, not 
every one is capable of occupying himself with his own thoughts, or of 
forming reflections, and this is the reason why distinguished men of our 
time have given to the public long and elaborate meditations, where each 



6 THE author's preface. 

truth^is set ont in all its force, and at full length, so that those who have 
no great penetration of mind, or cultivation of reason^ may help themselves 
out by reading, and have nothing to do in their way of making meditation, 
except to relish what they read, and form good resolutions on the truths 
proposed. Such, indeed, as have quick, active, ardent, and solid minds, 
require a great deal of matter to occupy them, and are like the fire, which 
goes out as soon as there is no fuel left to nourish it. 

I confess it is a difficult matter to satisfy every one ; nevertheless, T ven- 
ture to promise myself, that persons of every sort will be able to make use 
of these Meditations. Those who require only a little matter, will firi<j 
enough in a single line to occupy them for a long while. Tiiose who woul<^ 
have a great deal, can pass on from line to line, and rather want for tim(? 
to finish than for rnatter to occupy them. Those, in fine, who cannot, or do 
not wish to meditate, if they read these considerations with a little applica- 
tion of mind, will, I hope, derive no small amount of strength, light, and 
consolation from them. 

The learned reader will recognize without difficulty, that the truths 
comprised in this work are, for the most part, sentences from the Fathers, 
which I have translated into our own language. At first 1 had the inten- 
tion to indicate them in the njargin, but on reflecting that citations of this 
sort are only for books of doctrine, and that Father Dupont has not done 
so in his learned and beautiful Meditations, I abandoned the idea. Instead 
of sentences from the Fathers, I have given some from Holy Scripture, in 
order to support the truths proposed, and lend them, so to spenk, a little 
seasoning; for the w^ords of men are weak and insipid unless founded on 
and strengthened by tJie Word of God. IS'either do they make the same 
impression, for there is an authority in the Sacred Text which carries with 
it the minds of men more surely than all the arguments of human reason. 
Those, therefore, who are content to act through simple motives of faith, 
may stop at these passages; those who wish to employ the reason also, and 
the imagination, can occupy themselves w4th the points which compose 
these Meditations. 

There are meditations here on all the virtues, and the vices as well; on 
all the Mysteries of our Lord and of our Lady. Our founder, St. Ignatius, 
in his Book of Exercises, approved by the Holy See, w'ould have all the 
most important meditations made twice, either that one may enjoy a second 
time the truth which had once touched the heart, or that it may be im- 
pressed move profoundly on the mind, or, in fine, that by digging again in 
the same sacred field, one may find there the spring of living water, which 
was not discovered first. It was for this reason that, in a former edition, I 
marked out for certain days a repetition of the preceding meditation. An- 
other reason was that, being nearly all of them furnished with a great 
number of truths, and loaded, •so to speak, with a multitude of provisions 
which could not be consumed in a day, it became necessary to divide them, 
and distribute them more equalh^ But some persons of a delicate turn, 
looked upon these repetitions as warmed-over dishes, and besought me to 
take them awny, and to serve up some fresh food every day. This is what 
I h.ave now undertaken to do, dividing those Meditations w^hich were toe 
long into two parts, and filling the days where they were wanting. 

1 entreat all those pious souls that converse with God, to remember hira 
who prepared this nourishment for them, that he may not resemble thorf 
who built the Ark of Noah, but were not saved in it. 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



-^-•-^ 



rmST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

The Gospel. Luke^ xxi. 25-83. 

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : '' There shall be 
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars : and upon 
the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the 
roaring of the sea and of the waves, men withering away for 
fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. 
For the powers of Heaven shall be moved, and then they shall 
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with great power and 
majesty. But when these things come to pass, look up, and lift 
up your heads ; because your redemption is at hand. And he 
spoke to them a similitude : See the fig-tree and all the trees : 
w^hen they now shoot forth their fruit, you know the summer 
is nigh : so likewise when you see these things come to pass, 
know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Amen 1 say to you, 
this generation shall not pass away till all things be fulfilled. 
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my w^ords shall not pass 
away. 

ON THE LAST JUDGMENT. 

1st Point. There is an eye that sees all: there is an ear 
that hears all : there is a hand that writes all. The eye that 
sees all, does not discover itself; the ear that hears all, is not 
revealed ; the hand that writes all is not seen. I see not, yet 
I am seen ; I hear not, and I am heard ; I know not, and I am 
known. Oh my God! that Thou shouldst behold the secret 
and hidden thoughts of my heart! that Thou shouldst hear 



8 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

every sinful and idle word that I utter! that Thou shouldst 
write down the abominable record of my crimes ! 

Nothing will be lost ; nothing shall be forgotten ; all passes 
from time to eternity. That which has passed shall return; 
that which we believe to be lost, will be brought to light, and 
revealed to all men. The sinner will die, but his sins shall 
never die ; they will remain as long as God is God. That 
which passes during time will not end with time. A sin is 
easily committed, but unless it is blotted out by penitence an 
eternity cannot efface it. 

2d Point. All will be examined without exception ; all shall 
be judged without distinction ; the wicked shall be condemned 
without grace, and punished without remission or compassion. 
Unhappy I, when the book of my conscience shall be opened ! 
when the abominable history of my life shall be exposed to the 
eyes of the whole world ! Unhappy I, when my judge shall call 
me before his tribunal, and say to all his creatures : Behold the 
man, and that which he has done. Behold all the good I have 
done him, and all the evil he has done me ! 

It will be necessary to render an account at the last day, of 
the good we have received from God, and the good we have 
done for Him — of the good we have done, of the good we have 
not done ; of the evils we have committed, and of the evils we 
are responsible for ; of the evil that we have approved of, the 
evil we have not repented of; the evil we have not exposed ; of 
the evil in which we have been an accomplice ; of the evil of 
which we have been the occasion ; of the evil which we have 
caused, it may be by our counsel, it may be by our consent, it 
may be by our command, it may be by our suggestion and will, 
it may be by our flatteries, it may be by our negligence, it may 
be by our assistance, it may be by our support, it may be by 
our example, it may be by the scandal we have given. A man 
will be damned as often as he has caused souls to be damned ; a 
man will be crowned in Heaven as often as he has caused souls 
to be saved. 

3d Point. " Come to me, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world !" 
Oh words full of consolation ! " Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels !" 
Oh formidable sentence ! Where shall I hide myself when I am 
sought? What will become of me when I am judged? what 
answer shall I make when I am questioned ? Where shall I fly 
when they pursue me ? What shall I do when I am sentenced 1 



FIRST MONDAY IN ADVENT. 9 

What shall I do when I am damned ? Oh day full of horrors ! 
Oh judgment full of terrors ! 

Oh my God ! what will be my destmy ? Shall I be saved 1 
shall I be damned ? Shall I be of the number of the predestined 1 
shall I be among the number of the reprobates 1 All is veiled in 
uncertainty. That only which is certain is, if you live for God 
you will be saved ; if you die impenitent you will be lost eter- 
nally. Your sentence is written on your tongue ; you will be 
justified b}^ your words, and condemned by your words. Accuse 
yourself in time that you may be excused in eternity. Condenan 
yourself now, and you will be absolved then. Love your neigh- 
bor and forgive your enemy, and you will be forgiven. Show 
mercy, and it will be shown to you.* 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Every idle word that men shall speak they shall render an ac- 
count for it in the day of judgment." Mait. xii. 

" For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words 
thou shalt be condemned." Ibid. 

" For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.'* 
Bom, xiv. 

" For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. 
that every one may receive the proper things of the body, ac- 
cording as he hath done, whether it be good or evil." 2 Cor, v. 

" The Lord will come, who both will bring to light the hidden 
things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the 
hearts ; and then shall every man have praise from God." 1 
Cor. iv. 

"If the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the 
wicked and the sinner appear ?" 1 Peter, iv. 



FIRST MONDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON THE END OF MAN. 

1st Point. From whence do I come? To whom do I belong? 
I have come from God. I belong to God. I exist only in God. 

* "The words of Scripture should always be read at tire beginning or the end of each 
Meditation ; and it is well to offer up a short prayer, when you are arrested by those sen- 
tences which touch the heart and occupy the mini On Sundays it is necessary first to 
read the GosxteV— Crasset. 
1* 



10 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

I was created to serve Him. As I proceed only from God, He 
alone should be my chief aim. My existence is not necessary to 
God, but He has created me, and it is necessary that I should 
serve Him. Happy necessity which obliges me to be under so 
good a master, to love so tender a father, to serve so great a king, 
to work for a God so infinitely pure and perfect. 

2d Point. All things speak to me of God. Every thing draws 
me to God. His divine compassion excites my love. The won- 
ders of creation declare his glory. His judgments cause me to 
fe^r Him. Every thhig assures me that I do not deserve to live, 
unless I devote my life to God. That I am not worthy of an 
immortal soul, unless I consecrate its powers to the service of 
God. That it is impossible for me to serve two masters. That 
I must choose between God and the devil. 

3d Point. Which of these, my soul, do I obey 1 A God of 
infinite love and majesty, or a spirit of infinite evil and malice 1 
For the interests of which do I work ? To the inspirations of 
which have I listened ? Whom have I sought to please 1 Which 
is my master ? Alas ! the enemy of God has been my master ! 
I have executed his malicious designs. 

Oh, what blindness and infidelity ! Eetire from me, Satan ; I 
renounce thee forever. Thou art not my master ; and I will never 
be thy slave. Oh, God of my heart ! pardon me my sins, and 
judge me not according to the rigor of thy justice. Receive a 
poor penitent soul, who is humbly contrite for his faults ; who is 
in extreme grief, and desires to repair them ; who wishes to 
change his life, and be governed by thy law. I wish no longer 

to serve anv master but Thee. I wish to love no other than 

«^ 

Thee. I wish to live only for Thee, in time and in eternity. 
Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I spoke with my tongue : Oh Lord, make me know my end, 
and what is the number of my days, that I may know what is 
wanting to me." Fsahn^ xxxviii, 

'' And every one that calleth upon my name, I have created 
him for my glory ; I have formed him and made him." Isaias^ 
xxviii. 

''The Lord hath made all things for himself: the wicked, also,, 
for the evil dav." Prov. xvi. 

'" I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the 
Lord God, who* is, and who was, and who is to come." Apoc, i. 

" Hear, oh ye heavens, and give ear, oh earth, for the Lord 



FIRST TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 11 

hatb spoken. I have brought up children, and exalted them: 
but the J have despised me." Isaias, i. 



FIRST TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON DEATH. 

1st Point. It is appointed for you once to die. You will die 
only once. You know not the day, or the hour of your death ; 
you know not where or how you will die ; you do not know in 
what state you shall die. Death may surprise you in the midst 
of your sins and pjleasures ; it may come in an hour when you 
least expect it. As your life has been, so will your death be. 
One cannot learn in a moment a science he has never known. One 
cannot forget in a moment a science which he has always know^i. 
How can you love God in the dread hour of death, after hating 
Him all your life? Will you hate sin at the moment of dying, 
after loving it all your life ] You have never learned in life to 
produce acts of Christian virtue, how can you do it when all your 
energies are wasted by the pangs of sickness ? You know no 
other science than that of offending God ; how can you forget it 
at the hour of your death ? 

2d Point. After death you shall be judged. After judgment 
you will be saved or lost. What will you then wish to have 
done ? What will you wish that you had not done ? What will 
you wish to have suffered on earth — what mortifications, what pen- 
ance, what humiliations ! 

Do now what vou would wish to have done then. Leave 
undone now, that which you will wish then you had not done. 
Suffer now what you would wish then to have suffered. 

3d Point. You shall leave all your goods and possessions at 
the portals of eternity. Your glory cannot descend with you to 
the tomb. Your pleasures shall be turned into bitterness, and 
your love into hatred. You shall only carry from this life the 
good and evil you have done In it : the good, in order to be re- 
compensed ; the evil, that you may be punished. That which 
was your pleasure during life shall be your tornaent after death. 
That which is your cross and affliction in life, shall procure you 
great joy after death, if you suffer for God and in God. 

Oh, inexorable death ! Oh, inexorable judgment ! Oh, inexora- 
ble damnation ! Am I without a soul, that I banish all thoughts 



12 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of death ? I am without reason if I do not fear it. I am attached 
inordinately to life if I fear death too much. I do not love Jesus 
if I do not desire death. I do not merit being saved if I do not fear 
eternal loss. I have abused time, and trodden under foot the 
grace of God, if I have not spent my days in preparing for 
eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And the Lord said to Moses : Behold, the days of thy death 
are nigh : call Josue, and stand ye in the tabernacle of the testi- 
mony, that I may give him a charge. So Moses and Josue went, 
and stood in the tabernacle of the testimony." Deut, xxxi. 

" Oh, death ! how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man 
that hath peace in his possessions." Eccles, xli. 

"Man knoweth not his own end, but as fishes are taken with 
the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so m^en are 
taken in the evil time, when I shall suddenly come upon them." 
Eccles, ix. 

" The lord of that servant will come in a day that he expecteth 
not, and at an hour that he knoweth not, and shall separate him, 
and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers." Luhe^ xii. 

" Take order with thy house ; for thou shalt die, and shalt not 
live." IsaiaSj xxxviii. 



FIRST WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 

IT IS NECESSARY TO PREPARE ONESELF FOR DEATH AND JUDGMENT. 

1st Point. Are you ready to die] Have you put your affairs 
in order 1 Have you any affiiir of such importance, as your eter- 
nal safety, to occupy you? Do you think it possible to escape 
death? One who is certainly expected, and will surely come, 
may arrive at any moment. You do not expect to live, yet can- 
not realize that you must die. The affairs of this life are fleeting, 
and require but little time, but a preparation for eternity demands 
much. What higher science can you attain, than that of learning 
here to die well ? It is a perilous thing to avoid all thoughts of 
death until your last hour is at hand ! How can you prepare for 
judgment at the momen.t when you approach the tribunal of your 
judge ? 

2d Point. Every one studies that pursuit on which depends his 
success in life. It skould be the business of all men to learn how 



FiRST WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 13 

to be saved. It is not necessary to study in order to die. But it 
is necessary both to think and act, in order to die well. It is im- 
possible to perform well that which one has done only once. In 
order therefore to die well, it is necessary to die often. Is life 
too long to prepare for death ? Is time at your disposal, that you 
banish all thoughts of eternity ? How can you produce super- 
natural acts, having been governed all your life by nature ? How 
can you destroy within yourself, when diseased and. weak, those 
habits which have thrust their roots down, even to hell ? One 
can easily perform those acts which have been acquired by habit. 
If you do not make a remote preparation for death, the anguish 
of dj^ing will be unspeakable. Of sin came death. The evil is 
irreparable. Judgment follows death, and eternity follows judg- 
ment. Are your accounts ready ? When God shall question 
you, what will you reply ? Can you learn how to defend your- 
self, when the enemy presses on you ? Is it time to supply a 
garrison when every part is besieged ] Awake, or you shall be 
taken in a snare. Prepare for death, or death will find you at a 
moment when you least expect it. He who watches^ not, shall be 
surprised, and he who is surprised by death, will be damned. 
Learn then all that you should know ; which it is important for 
you to understand ; which you must persevere in ; which, only 
in time, you can accomplish! It is dangerous to fail, because 
such a failure can never be repaired, and its pains will never end. 
Do not trust to time, it is delusive. Depend not on your 
health, it is like unfaithful soil, which will crumble away beneath 
you, while you exult in your safety. When you imagine that 
death is far distant, then it is most near. Has it not come to 
many unawares ? May it not come also to you ? Oh my God ! 
I thank Thee, for having given me time to prepare for death. 
How is it with me if I am, at this moment, near the hour of my 
death] 

' Henceforth I will watch without ceasing, since I have an enemy 
who never slumbers, and who lays a snare for me on every side. 
In order to die well, I will each day make a remote preparation 
for death, that, dying often, I may meet death in the humble and 
peaceful hope of eternal life. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Eemember that death is not slow." Eccles. xiv. 
" Watch ye, therefore \ for ye know not the day nor the hour." 
Matt, XXV. 



14 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

"Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be 
accounted ^worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and 
to stand before the Son of Man." Luke\ xxi. 

•• If then thou wilt not watch, I w^ill come to vhcQ as a thief; and 
thou shalt not know at what hoiir I will come." Apoc. iii. 

" Be ye also ready, because at wdiat hour ye know not, the Son 
of Man will come." MdtL xxi v. 



FIRST THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON THE GOOD W^ORKS WHICH WILL SERVE US WHEN W^E ARE JUDGED. 

1st Point. A Christian w^ithout good works is like a tree with- 
out fruits; earth without produce; a lamp without oil; a vessel 
without a crew or provisions. His fliith is sterile and unproduc- 
tive. His spirit is m the shadow of death, and his life is almost 
extinguished. Those who do nothing, believe nothing. Those 
who believe, and do not, shall be more severely punished than 
those who have no faith. 

2d Point. The more light you have, the greater obligation are 
you under to live well. The more knowledge you have, the more 
culpable you are, if you neglect your salvation. Much shall be 
required of those who have received much. Those who do no 
good, do much evil. St^i'ility is a form of iniquity w^hich renders 
a Christian culpable. The fig tree which produces no fruit is 
burned. The talent is taken from him who hides it in the earth. 

3d Point. Faith will save us or damn us ; it will render us 
better or worse. To believe good, and do evil, is to be judged 
before death : it is to be condemned before we are accused. 
Those who do not practice what they believe, will soon cease to 
believe that which they do not perform. Faith does not exist 
long in the soul when the fruitful life of charity is extinguished. 

Then let your good works abound. Be not weary in well-doing. 
Do them in a state of grace ; do them for a good end ; do them 
without delay ; let them now equal in number those that are bad, 
which you have done. ' Do all the good that you are capable of, 
yet believe that you have done nothing meritorious. Do them 
while you can. Work while it is day, for the night cometh when 
no man shall work. 



FIRST FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 15 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"For the Son of Man shall come m the glory of his Father, 
with his angels, and then He will render to every man according 
to his works." . Matt. xvi. 

" Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render 
to every man according to his works." Apoc, xxii. 

"Do you not see that by works man is justified, and not 1)y 
faith alone ?" James^ ii. 

" For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith with- 
out works is dead." James^ H. 

"I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none. Cut it 
down therefore ; why cumbereth it the ground 1" Luke^ xiii. 

" But the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often 
upon it, and bringeth forth thorns and briars, is rejected, and very 
near to a curse, and is to be burnt." Hebrews^ vi. 

" Then shall the king say to them who sit on his right hand : 
Come ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and 
you gave me to eat ; I w^as thirsty, and you gave me to drink ; a 
stranger, and you took me in. Then shall He say to those on His 
left hand : Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels. For I w^as hungry, and you 
gave me not to eat; I w^as thirsty, and you gave me not to drink ; 
a stranger, and you took ftie not in ; naked, and you clothed me 
not ; in prison, and you visited me not." Matt xxv. 

"Therefore while we have time let us do good to all men." 
Galatians, vi. 



FIRST FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 

THE REPENTANCE WHICH PREPARES US FOR JUDGMENT. 

1st Point. Repentance, or hell ! To wetp in time, or to weep 
through eternity. A sin of a moment merits an eternity of tears. 
How much ought not he to weep who has committed an infinite 
number of sins 1 Alas, I sin, and no tears of contrition follow ; 
I sin continually, yet spare not a moment for repentance. 

2d Point. There are only tw^o roads which lead to eternity. 
One is on the right, and the other on the left. That which is on 
the right, leads up to heaven. That which is on the left, leads 



16 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

down to hell. The road to Heaven is narrow, it is steep, it is dif- 
ficult. The road to hell is broad and pleasant, and filled with all 
that can gratiry the senses. There are but few pilgrims toiling 
up the steep and rugged path to Heaven. Delirious multitudes 
throng the broad and pleasant road which leads to hell. All who 
are not in the narrow way on the right, are in the beaten and easy 
path on the left, hurrying tow^ards eternal woe. Whither do you 
travel? In which road do you walk? Do you walk in the road 
of the commandments of God ? Do you mortify your passions ? 
Do you repose in luxuries, and rejoice in superfluities? . Are you 
content with the necessities of your state ? Do you crave nothing 
beyond the necessaries of life ? Do you sin frequently ? In what 
manner do you do penance? 

3d Point. Alas ! methinks I see }'ou in the broad and fre- 
quented road of perdition ! You live only according to the laws 
which govern those who walk therein. You seek no other or bet- 
ter way. You imitate the vices of those around you. You scorn 
the Christian virtues of those who toil up the steep and weary 
road to heaven. You give the reins to your inclinations. You 
give ear to all the suggestions of your passions, w^hich are neither 
regulated or measured. You think only of those delights which 
are spread like snares before you ; your only care is, to find ease 
and gratification in your progress through this road of illusions. 
You drink only of the sweet waters of life ; the chalice of its bit- 
terness displeases and disgusts you. *You have chosen- the way 
of sin. You are determmed to persevere in sin. You fly from 
thoughts of penance. But unless you do penance, death will come 
in the midst of your sins, leaving you no time for repentance. 
If you do no penance in time, you cannot do it in eternity. *A 
bitter and hopeless death is the end of a life of ease and gratifica- 
tion. Oh my God ! spare me not in time ! Give me stripes and 
bitterness here, so Thou givest me thyself in eternity. 

words of scripture. 

" Bring therefore fruits worthy of penance." Luke^ iii. 

" I tell you no, bur except you do penance, you shall all like- 
wise perish." Luke^ xmI. 

" Enter ye in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and nar- 
row is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are 
who go in thereat." Matt. vii. 

" Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. iii. 

"How narrow is the gate and strait is the way which leadeth 
to life, and how few there are who walk therein." Matt. vii. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 17 



FIRST SATURDi^Y IN ADVENT. 

ON DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN, WHOSE INTERCESSION CAN 
RENDER OUR JUDGE FAVORABLE TO US. 

1st Point. To appease the anger of God, have recourse to the 
powerful intercession of Mary. She is the Mother of all the 
just ; she is the advocate of all sinners ; she is the queen of all 
the predestined ! They were given to her, by her divine Son, at 
the foot of the cross, in the person of the disciple whom He most 
loved. In offering his life to God on the altar of the cross, she 
has procured life for all men ; and in sacrificing her Son to the 
Father, she has co-operated in their salvation. 

2d Point. Approach the Father through the Son; go to the 
Son through the Mother. The Father refuses nothing to the 
Son, the Son refuses nothing to the Mother. As I can be saved 
only through the intercession of the Son, I ought to hope to be 
saved through the intercession of the Mother. The Son is our 
Mediator with the Father ; the Mother is our Mediatrix with the 
Son. Jesus is the head of the Church, united to the mystical 
body by Mary. Jesus is the fountain of Grace ; Mary is the 
channel through whom all may find refreshment. Jesus is the 
Sun of the world ; Mary is the moon which giveth joy to our 
night. 

3d Point. Oh holy Mother of God ! oh refuge of sinners ! oh 
strong defence of the miserable ! The fearful dread of my soul is 
dispersed by the knowledge that thou canst procure my eternal 
safety by thy intercession. Thy Son is truly my Saviour, but 
He is also my Judge. His goodness and clemency encourage 
me, but his justice terrifies me. Knowing my guilt, I dare not 
approach Him. But from thee, my tender and compassionate 
Mother, I have nothing to fear. Thou art the Mother of grace, 
and not of justice. Thou didst wish to become a mother, in order 
to give us a Saviour. Wouldst thou have been the Mother of 
God, if there had been no sinners ] Thou art, then, under some 
obligation to them, for the high and wonderful dignity to which 
God has elevated thee. I am a sinner ; I am the chief among 
sinners ; yet I cannot despair of my salvation, because thou art 
my advocate and refuge. Why should I fear, if I am truly con- 
trite, if I sincerely desire to be converted, having an advocate all- 
powerful with the Father, and an advocate all-powerful with the 



18 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. * 

Son ? Oh Mother of Jesus, receive me as thy child, that I may 
be the child of God. Receive me as the least of thy servants, 
that I may be numbered with the predestined. • 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Jesus saith to his mother, Woman, behold thy son. After 
that, he saith to his disciple, Son, behold thy mother." John^ xix. 

" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own." Ibid. 

" And they said to me. Let thy dwelling be in Jacob and thy 
inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect." Eccles, xxiv. 

" He that shall find me shall find the life, and shall have salva- 
tion from the Lord." Proverbs^ viii. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

The Gospel. Matt, xi. 2-10. 

" At that time, w^hen John had heard in prison the works of 
Clirist, sending two of his disciples, he said to Him : Art Thou 
He who is to come, or look we for another ? And Jesus, making 
answer, said to them : Go and relate to John what you have seen 
and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, 
the deaf hear, the dead rise again, and the poor have the gospel 
preached to them. And blessed is he that shall not be scandal- 
ized in me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say 
to the multitude concerning John : What went ye out into the 
desert to see ? A reed shaken by the wind ? But what w^ent ye 
out to see ? A man clothed in soft garments ? Behold, they that 
wear soft garments live in the houses of kings. But what went 
ye out to see ? A prophet ? Yea, I tell you, and more than a 
prophet. For this is he of whom it is written : Behold, I send my 
angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee." 

" ART THOU HE WHO IS TO COME *?" 

1st Point. Lord, art Thou He who was to come into the 
world, to deliver it frofti the tyranny of the devil, from the guilt 
of sin, from the bitterness of death ? Why is it, then, that I am 
still the slave of hell ? Art Thou He who wast to be born of a 
virgin, and reign on the throne of David, He whose kingdom 
should spread to the uttermost ends of the earth, who was to ap- 



SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 19 

pease the wrath of God, and satisfy his justice for our sins ; He 
who was to pay our ransom, close the gates of hell, and open the 
portals of Heaven, who was to give us peace, and restore us to 
that state of innocence from which we have fallen 1 Ah ! why is 
it, then, that I am yet an exile from this kingdom of peace 1 
Why is it that I travel in pain, while my heart is troubled? why 
is it that so many souls are lost, and so few saved ] why is it that 
I always feel the insupportable weight of my sins ? Alas, it is 
because my soul is without faith ; it is because I have not be- 
lieved ; it is because I have abused thy grace ; it is because I 
desire to be saved Avithout doing any thing to merit salvation. 
It is because I am indifferent to the joy of being at peace with 
Thee and thy Father, and have continually defied Thee. 

Oh my soul, why do you delay to enter into this kingdom of 
peace? when will you place on your shoulders the sweet yoke of 
Jesus Christ? He has created you, but He cannot save you 
without your own consent. He who made you without a wish 
of your own, will not justify you unless you wish it. 

2d Point. Art Thou the Lord ? Art Thou He whose coming 
the prophets for ages foretold, whom the patriarchs expected, 
whom the nations desired ? Art Thou He who was to come, to 
give sight to the blind, to heal the leper, to open the ears of the 
deaf, to cause the lame to rise up and walk, to restore the dead to 
life? Alas! why is it that I cannot hear thy voice? why do 1 
stumble and falter like one lame? why is it that I hear thy gos- 
pel, and neither discern thy face nor profit by it ? Alas ! it is 
because I regard the maxims of the world more than I do thy 
law ; it is because my ill-regulated passions fill my heart with 
confusion and tumult ; it is because I do not desire to be thy dis- 
ciple, or to declare thy faith before the world. Alas ! if 1 believe 
not, the ordeal is passed, and I am already judged ; if I believe, 
and do not live according to those things which my faith teaches, 
my faith will judge and condemn me. 

3d Point. Art Thou He who was to come, to be immolated 
on our altars, in order to become our priest and our victim; in 
order to present our adoration in a more worthy manner, to God 
thy Father ; to thank Him for all his benefits, to make satisfac- 
uion for the punishment which is due for our sins, and to obtain 
for us those inestimable graces which are necessary for our salva- 
tion ? Why is it, then, that I always assist at this divine sacri- 
fice with so little fervor, that I attend these holy mysteries Avith 
so little devotion and reverence ? why is it that I so seldom de- 
sire to behold Thee and receive Thee ? 



20 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

I see now, oh my God, how faithless and impious I have been ; 
that I have believed I owe Thee nothing ; that I have been un- 
grateful, and do not wish to acknowledge the debt which I owe 
Thee ; that my vain and haughty spirit has forbidden me to ac- 
knowledge myself a sinner ; that I am presumptuous, and an un- 
believer who has felt no dependence on Thee, or desired thy 
grace. 



FOR THE SAME DAY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECi;i 

1st Point. Art Thou, oh Lord, He who was to come into my 
heart, veiled under the mystical form of bread, but really and en- 
tirely present ? that, united with my soul. Thou mightest nourish 
it, sanctify it, and purify it ? that Thou mightest heal it, strengthen 
it, and enrich it, by thy grace and merits, and apply to it the 
fruits of thy bitter passion, and impart to it thy spirit, in order 
to make it one of thy members ? Art Thou He, oh Lord, who 
was to come to be my life, my good, my nourishment, m}/ pastor, 
my physician, my sovereign, my father, my all '? Why is it then 
tliat I so seldom receive Thee ; that when Thou dost come into my 
heart, I have no better welcome for Thee than coldness and 
neo;lect ? Ah, clement Lord ! it is because I have not loved Thee. 
It is because I take no pleasure in thy society, and do not believe 
that Thou art the true life and nourishment of my soul. Because 
I have persuaded myself that I can slight thy graces with impu- 
nity ; that it is not necessary for me to possess Thee in order to 
do good ; and that without Thee, I can, of myself, abstain from all 
evil ; that I can without thy succor, combat with the devil, and 
resist his snares and temptations. 

2d Point. Finally, oh Lord, is it Thou who wilt come to 
judge me ? who wilt descend from Heaven to earth with great 
power and majesty, and before angels and men, call me to an ac 
count for the deeds which I hav^e done in the body ? who will 
reveal all things which are hidden, and reproach me, because when 
Thou dwelt on earth in the form of a pilgrim and a stranger, I 
opened not the door of my heart to Thee, or invited Thee to enter, 
although Thou didst so long and so often stand waiting without 1 

Art Thou He who will come to save me if I am innocent, and 
damn me if I am guilty? Why is it, then, that knowing Thou 



SECOND MONDAY IN ADVENT. 21 

art to be my judge, I take so little pains to solicit thy favor, to 
appease Thee, to serve Thee, and cause Thee to look on me with 
complacency ? Why is it that I do nothing to merit thy favor, 
and secure my safety ? Alas ! it is because I have not feared 
Thee, or been terrified by the threats of thy vengeance ; it is 
because I have placed no faith in thy promises ; because I have 
thought neither of Heaven, or death, or hell. It is because I have 
been indifferent as to whether I shall be saved or lost; w^hether I 
shall possess Thee through eternity, or lose Thee through eternity. 
But from this moment I will seek to change my life. I desire 
from henceforth, oh Lord, to ISve Thee, and receive Thee so fre- 
quently, that at last. Thou wilt in turn, receive me into thy eter- 
nal kingdom, w^here I may praise and bless Thee forever. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy king cometh to thee." 
Matt, xxi. 

'' He that giveth testimony of these things saith, surely I come 
quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Apoc, xxii. 

" The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is 
our king ; He will save us." Isaias^ xxxiii. 

'• Christ shall come to his temple and purify his priesthood." 
MalachiaSj iii. * 



SECOND MONDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON HUMAN RESPECT. 

''^Blessed is he thai shall 7iot he scandalized in me." Matt. xi. 

1st Point. Displease God or displease men. Omit the good 
which you ought to perform through human respect ; believe in 
Jesus Christ and be ashamed of his word ; counterfeit his faith 
like a hypocrite, when you are obliged to profess it ! This is the 
way to be an apostate and a deserter of religion — a Christian 
in name and an infidel in heart. There are three kinds of apos- 
tacies — one of the heart, one of the lips, one of the actions. 
Are you not an apostate in heart? Are you not in w^ords ? Are 
you not in deeds? Do you not commit evil to please men'? Do 
you not omit the performance of good works for fear of dis- 
pleasing them 1 Do you not entertain bad or impious senti- 



• 



22 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ments ? Do you not speak the language of the libertine and the 
detractor? Do you not live as the wicked do ? 

2d Point. In order to be saved it is not enough to have faith 
in the heart. It is necessary to declare with your lips that 
you are a Christian, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. But it is not 
sufficient to say simply, ' I am a Christian ;' it is also essential 
that your works shall be worthy of the faith you profess. To 
believe all that a Christian believes, and live^like an infidel, is to 
render yourself doubly guilty. It is sinning against the Holy 
Ghost; it is contending with his inspirations; it is burying 
the talent which God has given ^u ; it is withholding unjustly 
that which is not really yours ; it is writing your judgment, and 
pronouncing sentence against yourself 

Ah ! can it be that you are one of those false Christians, one of 
those detestable hypocrites, who have a consecrated head and 
a profline heart ; who hold the faith of the Son of God, and bear 
the malice of devils? If you confess Jesus Christ before men, 
He will confess you before his Father. If you deny Him before 
men. He will renounce you before God his Father. If you are 
ashamed to declare yourself his disciple. He will be ashamed to 
appear as your master. If you acknowledge Him for your Lord 
before men, He will recognize you as his servant before his holy 
angels. <• 

3d Point. Oh Jesus, my Lord, what a strange spectacle do I 
not present to the v/orld ! They are in doubt, and inquire 
whether I am a Christian or an infidel. I adore Thee in prosper 
ity, and blaspheme Thee in adversity. I confess Thee secretly 
before angels, and renounce Thee publicly before the world. I 
revere thy law, and am ashamed to practice it; I make profes- 
sion of thy doctrines, and blush at thy example; I scandalize 
thy humility, thy poverty, thy cross, thy passion, thy suffering, 
thy death ! I have not the courage to say, I believe that which 
Thou hast declared, since I am ashamed to do those works of 
humility and mortification which Thou hast done. The unworthy 
fear of " what will they say^^'' causes me to renounce the duties 
which my fliith demands me to perform. 1 am more afraid of the 
raillery of the wicked, than the martyrs were of the cruel tortures 
jf tyrants. 

Oh my God ! it is now that I behold my misery ! It is now 
that I desire to commence in reality a Christian life, and make an 
open and sincere profession of piety. I w^ill no longer fear to 
displease those who are thy enemies, and with whom Thou art 
displeased. I shall cease to be tormented by the fear of their 



SECOND TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 23 

contempt, and the dread of offending them. As my body cannot 
be immolated for the love of Thee, I will suffer a martyrdom of 
heart, and regard my enemies as tyrants, whose persecutions will 
confer on me at last, the crown of martyrdom. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"He that feareth man shall quickly fall." Prov, xxix. 

"And I say to you, my friends, Be riot afraid of them that 
kill the body, and after that have no mol-e that they can do." 
SL Luke^ xii. 

" Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son 
of Man also confess before the angels of God." Ibid. 

" But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before 
the angels of God." Ibid, 

"For whomsoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, 
of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come 
in his majesty, and of his Father's, and of the holy angels." 
SL Luke^ ix. 



SECOND TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON ACTIVE SCANDAL AND BAD EXAMPLE. 

1st Point. Bad example is a bad instructor. It teaches evil 
to those who have hitherto been unconscious of it ; it persuades 
those to commit sin who had always entertained a horror of it ; 
it teaches those who have always hated evil to love it ; it makes 
itself easy and pleasant to those who have hitherto feared it ; it 
controls those who would fly from it; it renders itself honorable 
to the great, necessary to the obscure, and agreeable to the wick- 
ed. One scandalous person works more evil than all the saints 
have done good. Bad example damns more souls than the most 
zealous preachers have saved. Ignorance of evil is a part of in- 
nocence, and one of the best ramparts of virtue. Those who 
have never seen evil committed, think not of seekinoj it. Thev 
will entertain a horror of it unless they see it committed and ex- 
cused by others. One is ashamed to practice virtue among the 
wicked, and to be innocent among the guilty. 

2d Point. Do you live in sini Have you given a bad exam- 
pie to your neighbor ? has your life been a scandal to others 1 
have you not made war with innocence ? have you not derided 



24 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

and mocked good men? have you not pi evented devotion in 
others ? are you not a monster of iniquity and an emissary of the 
devil ? has not your bad example been an eloquent advocate of 
evil ? How many souls have you not ruined ? how mucli purity 
have you not sullied by your bad actions ? how many sins have 
you not committed 1 how many of your fellow-beings have you 
not debauched and precipitated into hell, by your lewd conversa- 
tion and your infamous example 1 What good have you done to 
repair all this evil '? ' What good can you ever do which will 
equal the loss of one soul ? How shall you ever indemnify Jesus 
Christ for luring to ruin the sheep of his fold ; for debauching his 
subjects ; for persecuting his members, whom you have delivered 
to blood, to death, and destructive passions ? Oh what displeas- 
ure have you caused the holy angels ! oh what wounds have you 
not inflicted on the holy Church ! The sins which you have com- 
mitted during your life are innumerable. After death you will 
still sin through the influences which the bad example of your 
life have generated, and which will continue, though the silence of 
the grave enfolds you, and the pangs of hell encompass you, 
through all time. 

3d Point. Oh scandalous soul ! what has the Lamb of God 
done to you that you should persecute Him? what has your 
neighbor done, that you seek his eternal rum? what have the 
holy angels done, that you should grieve them ? Has the devil 
been so great a benefactor to you that you thus earnestly en- 
deavor to satisfy all his demands ? Can it be that the piety of 
your neighbor provokes you to malice? do you seek his ruin 
only that you may triumph over innocence? Have you not sin? 
enough of your own to account for, without loading yourself with 
the sins of others ? do you not fear they will fasten a millstone 
about your neck, which will precipitate you into the depths of 
hell, for having scandalized one or many of his little ones? 
And what, think you, will be your sentence at the tribunal of 
Jesus Christ, after having scandalized the great as well as the 
small, men and women, the rich and the poor, the good and the 
bad ? What repose will you find in hell, where you shall have 
as many to torment you as you have caused souls to be damned, 
and where all the scandals you have been guilty of, and thrown 
defiantly towards Heaven, shall fall like thunder-bolts on your 
head ? 

Do penance speedily ; do it, if you can, as soon as you have 
done evil. Ah ! miserable soul ! all the good that you can do 
will never equal the evils of which you have been guilty. Make 



SECOND WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 2t> 

jp, then, hj your humility, and by your tears, the defects of your 
repentance. Repair, by the good example you shall give, the 
damage you have inflicted on your neighbor. Endeavor to win 
as many souls to God, as you have taken souls from Him. Let 
your repentance shed a sweet odor in the hearts of the fliithful, 
in place of the pestilential odors by which your evil acts and 
wicked life have afflicted them. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• AVoe to the world because of scandals." Si. Maith, xviii. 

" But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that be- 
lieve in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged 
about his neck, and that Jie wera drowned in the depths of -the 
sea.'' SL Maith, xviii. 

" Let your modesty be known to all men : the Lord is nigh." 
Philipinans^ iv. 

'^Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemy 
of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing the child that is born to 
thee shall surely die." 2 Kings^ xii. 



SECOND WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT AS THE PRECEDING. 

1st Point. It is only those who are perfect, in that which they 
profess to know, who can produce their equals. It is necessary, 
therefore, to be perfectly wicked, in order to render others like 
you. The -candalous person is an Anti-Christ, who wages war 
with the Son of God. He is the tyrant of virtue, whose malice is 
veiled under an agreeable exterior and a plausible address ; tho 
deputy of Satan, the minister of his will, and the corrupter of in 
nocence. 

The scandalous person brings destruction into the empire of 
Jesus Christ, while he extends and establishes that of Lucifer ; 
he fights under the banner of hell ; he enlists men by the infiu 
ence of his evil designs to unite with him ; he procures martyr- 
dom for the servants of God, and gives joy and satisfaction to tho 
wicked; he exalts vice to the highest dignity, and reckless of the 
suffering he has caused, to attam his object, triumphs in injustice. 

2d Point. The person who gives scandal causes the damnation 
of the body and soul of his brethren, which have been purchased 
2 



20 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

by the body and blood of Jesus Christ. He shall suffer sepa- 
rately for every sm he has committed ; he shall be damned as 
often as he shall have caused the damnation of others ; the un- 
speakable woes of hell will be meted out to him in measure pro- 
portioned to the number of souls he has caused to be lost. 

Are you one of those who give scandal ? have you not given 
])ad example to your children, to your domestics, to your equals, 
and to your inferiors'? are you not free in your language, im- 
modest in your actions, profuse in your expenditures, haughty in 
your demeanor, ostentatious in your luxury, dissolute and disor- 
derly in your life? do you not behave with irreverence in church! 
do you assist at the holy sacrifice of Mass with respect and devo- 
tion? are you, to all those who know you an example of modesty 
and piety, or- the occasion of sin and scandal ? 

Oh Lord my God ! pardon me my sins, and impute not to me 
the sins of others. If I am held responsible for the evil which I 
have committed, and that which I have caused others to commit, 
my eternal safety is in peril. " Yes, surely," Thou repliest, '' for 
you were created not only for yourself, but for the good of your 
fellow beings. Your life is not necessary to you, but your good 
reputation and example are necessary to others, and the world 
should behold in you a model of chastity and modesty." 

3d Point. Alas ! my Lord and my God, I have not been pur- 
suing the course thy inspirations have dictated. I have debased 
modesty, and I have carried a forehead of brass ; I have not been 
ashamed before God or man of the evil I have committed; 1 
have triumphed in my disorders ; I have infected many with the 
pestilence of my filthy conversation — by my shameful actions, by 
my detestable impiety, by my bad example ; I have set snares to 
entrap the innocent and unwary ; I have vraged war with thy ser- 
vants, and, not content with being wicked myself, I have endeav- 
ored to make others more wicked than I am. Unhappy wretch 
that I am ! what shall I do in order to repair the evils I have 
done towards God and my fellow beings ? Since, then, I have 
been, even until now, the tyrant of those who served Thee. My 
God, it is necessary that I should become, henceforth, the martyr 
of the wricked ; since I have jested at devotion, it is necessary that 
I should now make an open an*d fearless profession of it ; since I 
have heretofore worked only for the ruin of souls, it is necessary 
that I should now only labor to save souls ; since I have wasted 
my days in running after wickedness, it is necessary that I should 
pursue virtue, and repair the time I have lost, by good works ; 
since I have done the work of devils, it is necessary that I should 



* SECOND THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 27 

now begin to perform that of angels ; and I shall not be assured 
of my safety, mitil I have been instramental in saving as many 
souls as 1 have caused to be lost. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And if thine eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, for it is better 
for thee with one eye to enter into the kingdom of God, tha^i, 
having two eyes, to be cast into the hell of fire." St. Mark^ ix. 

" It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about 
his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize 
one of these little ones." St. LiiJce.^ xvii. 

'' In all things show thyself an example of good works, in doc- 
trine, in integrity, in gravity, the sacred word that cannot be 
blamed, that he who is on the contrary part may be afraid, hav 
ing no evil to say of us." Titus, ii. 



SECOND THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 

[St. John imprisoned by Herod.] 
ON THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE WICKED. 

1st Point. The world persecutes you? Is there no danger of 
your falling into sin? Have you not abandoned some pious 
practice? Does not your coldness and indifference need chas- 
tisement ? Examine yourself. 

' The wicked persecute you ? It is a proof that you belong not 
to them ; they detest those whom God loves. One cannot be 
pleasing to God and man at the same time : one cannot be loved 
by the good and the bad. ^^ If I ivish to please menl^'' says St. 
Paul, "/ cannot he a servant of God.'''* If I am hated by the 
wicked, it is to be believed that I am loved by Jesus Christ. 

2d Point. Persecution drives us to heaven. It strengthens us 
in our duties ; it detaches us from the love of creatures ; it pre- 
serves us from the delusion of false appearances, and forces us to 
enter into ourselves ; it purifies the heart, as fire purifies gold ; it 
causes goodness to take root in our souls, as fierce winds make 
the trees strike their roots deej) down into the soil ; it gives us a 
distaste for life and a desire for death. Should you have referred 
all that you are and have to God ? should you have sought conso • 
lation only in Him, if the world had loved you ? Should you 



28 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

have known the sweetness and clemency of God, if the world had 
not maltreated you and banished you from its society ? It is He 
w^ho commands them to refuse you with harshness when you ask 
.favors of them and flatter them ; to repulse you when you ap- 
proach them ; to fly from you when you seek them. 

3d Point. It is God who arms all. creatures against you, in 
order to obli2;e vou to return to Him. He causes thorns to 
spring over all your pleasures, in order to prevent your reposing 
thereon ; He does not wish any one to offend or wound you, but 
He wishes you to suffer with patience the injuries which you re- 
ceive ; He does Aot wish you to sin, but He wishes you to feel 
the effects of sin ; He hates those who persecute, but He dearly 
loves the persecuted. 

Oh my God ! thy wisdom is admirable, and thy chastisements 
are those of a merciful Father. If Thou hadst not warned me, I 
should never have contended with my enemies ; if Thou hadst 
not hedged my way around with thorns, how should I have been 
defended from the assaults of those who sought my soul 1 Alas ! 
J should never have been thine, if the world had desired me ; and 
I should have been adverse to Thee, if the world had not been ad- 
verse to me. Oh ! I am indebted to its hatred ; I am under a 
weight of obligation to it, for thy love. I praise Thee, my God, 
for having thus lovingly permitted me to be persecuted ! I 
praise Thee that Thou shouldst have been so mercifully severe. 
Thou hast broken the fetters by which the world held me in 
bondage. I was its slave, and Thou hast made me free. I shall 
henceforth sacrifice to Thee all my life, a victim of love, of praise, 
and of gratitude. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Fill their faces w^ith shame, O Lord, and they shall seek *^^hy 
name." Psalm Ixxxii. 

^' Lord, they have sought after thee in distress." Isaias^ xxvi. 

"Wherefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, 
and I will stop it up with a wall, and she shall not find her 
paths." Osee, ii. 

" Blessed are they w^ho suffer persecution for justice' sake, hr 
theirs is the kingdom of heaven." SL Matth. v. 



SECOND FRIDj4Y IN ADVENT. 29 



SECOND FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 

[The Gospel is preached to the poor.] 
ON POVERTY. 

1st Point. Nothing in time can distract the mind or thoughts 
of a man who is poor in spirit. He desires nothing. If he pos- 
sesses the necessaries of life, he is contented; if he is without 
them, he rejoices. A poor and contented m_an has but few w^ants. 
All things are w^anting to a rich and avaricious man. Necessity 
demands but little. Nothing can satisfy avarice. 

Are you poor in spirit] Is not your heart filled with heavenly 
treasures ? Do you grieve at beholding the abundance of grace 
you possess ? Do you love indigence and poverty ? Are you 
satisfied with your limited means? Do you not desire more of 
this world's goods ? 

2d Point. A man is rich who possesses God. A man is poor 
indeed when he has lost God. He is avaricious, wdio is not con- 
tented with God. He is happy, who is satisfied with God. Every 
thing on earth finds place in nothingness. God, alone, can fill the 
heart which is empty. 

3d Point. Are liot your goods derived from creatures ? Do 
not the things of this life incessantly occupy you ? You shall 
have every thing if you desire nothing. You shall find every 
thing when you shall have nothing. Oh, my divine Saviour ! Thou 
hast made this state of poverty desirable, since Thou hast pre- 
ferred it above all the riches and splendor of Paradise. Can any 
one be born in more abject poverty, than Thou wert? Can any 
one live poorer than Thou didst? Can any one die in greater 
poverty than Thou didst? Thou hast proved that Thou art the 
Son of God, since Thou hast announced the gospel to the poor. 
And I, who wish to preach only to the wealthy, and desire only 
riches, ought I to pass for a child of God? In what strong 
contrast is thy life to mine ! Thou wert rich, and Thou hast 
made thyself poor ; I am poor, and I wish to become rich. Thou 
hadst all, and Thou hast desired nothing; I have nothing, and I 
desire every thing. Is it just that a rebellious slave should be 
better clothed, better treated, and better accommodated than his 
master ? 



30 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Fear not, my son, we lead a poor life indeed, but M^e shall 
have many good things if we fear God, and depart from all evil, 
and do that which is good." Tobias^ iv. * 

" Blessed are the poor in sj)irit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven." MatL v. 

'Jesus said to him, If thou wilt be perfect go sell all thou hast 
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven ; and 
come and follow me." St. Matt, xix. 

" For we brought nothing with us into this world, and certainly 
we can carry nothing out." 1 Timothy^ vi. 



SECOND SATURDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON A GOOD AND BAD CONSCIENCE. 

1st Point. St. John, in his prison, is happy; Herod, on his 
throne, is miserable. How good it is to serve God ! What 
pleasure and tranquillity there is in loving Him ! He is benign 
and merciful to those whose hearts are right, before Him ; He is 
terrible to those who offend and defy Him. A good conscience 
is calm and at rest ; a bad conscience is turbulent and agitated. 
Peace and repose reign in the soul which belongs to God ; trouble 
and inquietude distract the soul of the wicked. 

2d Point. The conscience of the just is a type of heaven, be- 
cause they are at peace with God, and God dwells with them ; 
that of a sinner is a type of hell, because it can find no rest, and 
is governed by the spirit of evil. Good men fear nothing ; the 
wicked fear every thing. The just are good in themselves, because 
their lives are governed by the inspirations of God ; the secret 
motives and hidden life of the sinner, are corrupt and constantly 
at war with God. The just enter readily into themselves, because 
all therein is peace and consolation ; the wicked dare not enter 
into themselves, but tremble and fly over the disorder and horri- 
ble confusion which reign within them. The just live well amidst 
the pains and anguish of life, and die with joy ; the wicked live in 
the midst of pleasures, and die in bitter pain and anguish. Rather 
let me rejoice in tlie prison of St. John, than be miserable on 
the throne of Herod. Oh, it is better to be poor and despised 
in the house of God, than to be prosperous and honored in the 



THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 31 

haunts of the wicked ! Who would choose to be the guest of the 
evil one '? Who would not fear a host so full of deadly malice ? 
Oh what more miserable condition is there than that of the 
wicked ? Oh what life more happy than that of the Christian 1 
Is it not a foretaste of heaven to be always contented ? Is it not a 
foretaste of hell to be always disquieted and angry ? 

3d Point. How is it with you ] Do you live in peace ? Do 
you live in turmoil and disorder? Whence comes your sadness? 
Is it from being tempted by vain scruples ? Be obedient, and you 
shall soon be healed. Is it because life is fleeting and uncertain ? 
Make a good confession, and your soul will fmd peace. Is it be- 
cause your affairs are in a ruinous state? One is miserable, 
because he believes himself to be so, or desires to be so. Think 
of the great afl:air of your eternal safety, and you will no longer 
be disquieted. Is it because you cannot obtain all that you de- 
sire ? Desire nothing, and no disappointment will have power to 
afflict you. Is it because you are wanting in devotion? True de- 
votion consists in doing that which God desires you to do, and in 
being that which He desires you to be ; to suffer that which He 
desires you to suffer, and to remain, without murmuring, in that 
state in which it is his good pleasure for you to remain. 

WORDS OF scripture. . 

" Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh 
evil." Romans^ ii. 

" My sin is always before me." Pso.lm 1. 

*' There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord." Isaias, xlvjii. 

" A good conscience is a continual feast." Proverbs^ xv. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

The Gospel. John, i. 19-28. 

" At that time the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Le vites 
to John, to ask him : Who art thou ? And he confessed and did 
not deny ; and he confessed : I am not the Christ. And they 
asked him : What then ? Art thou Elias ? And he said : I am 
not. Art thou a prophet ? And he answered : No. They said, 
therefore, unto him : Who art thou, that we may give an answer 
to them that sent us ? What sayest thou of thyself? He said : 
I am tjxe voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the 
way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. And they that 



32 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

were sent were of the Pharisees, and they asked and said to him : 
Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor 
the prophet '? John answered them, saying : I baptize with water 
but there hath stood one ui the midst of you whom you know not. 
The same is He that shall come after me, who is preferred before 
me, the latchet of whose shoe I- am not worthy to loose. These 
things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John 
was baptizirig. " 



ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF ONESELF. 

1st Point. Who art Thou^ my God, and who am I? Thou art 
all, and I am nothing ; Thou knowest ail, and I am ignorant of 
every thing ; Thou canst do all, and I can do nothing ; Thou art 
all light, and I am all darkness ; Thou art mighty and strong, I 
am infirm and weak : Thou art all sanctitv, I am all wickedness ; 
Thou art the holy of holies, I am the sinner of sinners ; Thou art 
the king of kings, I am the slave of slaves ; Thou art the source 
of all my good, and the remedy of all my evils; Thou art my 
life, my joy, my wisdom, my strength, my defence, my desire, 
my consolation, my hope ! Oh Lord, in Thee is all my strength ; 
without Thee I am impotent and helpless. 

2d Point. Who are you, man of pride and haughtiness % What 
have you that you have not received from God % And if you 
have received all from Him, why desire to elevate yourself above 
others % Can you have a good thought which is not inspired by 
God % Can you conceive a good desire unaided by his grace % 
Can you form a good resolution unless He suggests if? Can you 
utter a good word, or perform a good action, without the assist- 
ance of his grace ? Alas ! why is it, then, that you do not have 
recourse to Almighty God % Why do you not implore Plim to 
instruct, strengthen, and defend you % Why do you not humiliate 
yourself in his presence'? AYhy is it that you rely only on your 
own will, on your own prudence, on your own credit and friends ? 
Why so presumptuous as to depend only on your virtues and 
merits, as if you could put Him aside, or He could pass you .by ? 

3d Point. Who are you % A man who has been placed in the 
world only to glorify God ; a sinner who has merited hell a 
thousand times ; a Christian who ought to be crucified ; one of 
the predestined, who ought to desire suffering, if he desires eternal 
life ! Alas, why is it that you think only of glorifying yourself 
instead of glorifying God'? Why is it that you wish to avoid 
doing penance in this life, since you deserve to suffer in hell ? 



THIRD MONDAY IN ADVENT. 33 

Why is it, that being a Christian, you would shun the cross, and 
murmur when God afflicts you? Why is it that you desire to go 
to heaven by some other road than that by which all the saints 
have gone? 

What were you at your birth.'? What are you in your life ? 
W^hat shall you be in your death? Why then do you allow 
yourself to l)e persuaded into sin ? Why prefer yourself to those 
whose worth and virtue render them superior to you? Why 
despise your fellow men? Why hate your neighbor? Why 
vainly plume yourself on advantages which you do not possess, 
or if you do, which you have received from God, who can deprive 
you of them when it pleases Him, and for which lie will require 
a strict account at death, and in judgment. 

Oh man without reason ! Oh sinner without fear ! Oh Christian 
without faith ! Do you take more delight in emulating the pride 
of Lucifer than the humility of Jesus Christ? Remember, that 
which you have is not of yourself, nor should it be the occasion 
of vain-glory. Remember, that which you have of yourself is 
perishable, sinful and fleeting, and should teach you humility. If 
you elevate yourself, God will cast you down. If yoii practice 
humility, God will raise you up. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Humble thy spirit very much, for the vengeance on the flesh 
of the ungodly is fire and worms." Eccles. vii. 

"Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon your shoulders and 
learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart, and you 
shall find refreshment for your souls." Matt. xi. 

"But it is not so among you, but whosoever will be greater 
shall be your minister. And whoever will be first among you, 
shall be the servant of all." Mark^ x. 

" Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, 
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." St, Luke^ xiv. 



THIRD MONDAY IN ADVENT. 



ON HUMILITY. 



1st Point. What will it profit your soul to possess all othei 
virtues, if you have not the virtue of humility ? Wi4:hout humility 
2* 



34 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

they will not save you. All of your sins, with all the corrupt 
evils of your nature will not damn you, if you have humility; 
for it banishes every vice from the heart, and invites all the vir- 
tues to enter therein. If, wicked as king Achab, you will fly 
from yourself, and humiliate yourself, you shall, like him, obtain 
mercy ; but if as rich and beautiful as Lucifer, you fly from 
yourself, and still cherish a proud and haughty spirit, like him, 
you will be eternally damned ! Gpd resists the proud, and gives 
grace to the humble. What can you do without his grace '^ It 
is necessary to be truly humble to obtain it. Those who are proud 
and haughty shall not receive it ; those who are devout and hum- 
ble shall obtain it in rich measure. 

2d Point. Who can say that his salvation is im.possible, when 
he knows that humility will obtain from God all the necessary 
graces to ensure it 'I Who can say that the road to heaven is 
difficult and rough, since He who brings down the pride of his 
spirit, can easily ascend it? You cannot raise yourself to the 
heights of perfection, but who is it that cannot humble himself? 
All men cannot ascend, but who is there that cannot descend? 
All things are possible to you, if you can practice humility. 
You cannot fast, but you can humiliate yourself. You cannot 
weep for your sins, but you can humiliate yourself for those 
things which you are not able to weep for. You cannot perform 
many works of charity, or recite many prayers, but you can 
always humiliate yourself. The virtue of humility repairs the 
defects of charity. A sinner is safe when folded in the arms of 
humility. God never despises a contrite and humble heart. 

8d Point. Let us not lose courage, my soul. Why should we 
despair of the mercy of God ? Why abandon ourselves to sorrow, 
and consume ourselves with anger and disquiet? We have only to 
humble ourselves before God, and we shall obtain all those graces 
which we have not, and become all that we are not, and receive 
all that assistance which we do not merit. 

Do you relapse often into sin ? Have patience, and humiliate 
yourself. You cannot pray, because you are assailed by distrac- 
tions of every kind. Be patient in the bosom of humility. 
Your infirmities are without number ? your defects seem incura- 
ble ? If you can do nothing else to remedy these evils, humiliate 
yourself. The virtue of humility, says that holy man, St. Ber- 
nard, repairs the breaches, and heals the wounds inflicted on 
charity by our sins. 



THIKD TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 35 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He hatli had regard to the prayers of the humble, and He 
hath not despised their petition." Psalm, ci. 

" In thy humiliation keep patience, for silver and gold arc tried 
in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.^' 
JEccles, ii. 

" The greater thou art, humble thyself the more in all things. 
and thou shalt find grace before God." Eccles, iii. 

" For great is the pover of God alone, and He is honored by 
the humble." Ihid, 



THIRD TUESDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY. 

1st Point. It is necessary to suffer the contempt of the 
Vorld, and be despised by the enemies of God ; it is necessary 
to love contempt ; it is necessary to desire it ; it is salutary to 
seek it. It is necessary to suffer it, because it is an imaginary 
evil ; it is necessary to love it, because it adds to our merits ; it 
is necessary to desire it, because it provides us with occasions for 
augmenting our spiritual good ; it is salutary to desire it, because 
it perfects us in the inestimable virtue of humility, without which 
we cannot triumph over sin and death. 

2d Point. Conceal your treasures in the bosom, of humility, 
for fear the devil should take them from you. Nature guards 
for herself that which is of value, and rejects that which is worth 
less. Hide then your virtues, and reject your vices. Destroy 
the insidious poison of dangerous defects, by that sure antidote, 
humility. It is dangerous to speak much of yourself, either of 
your goodness, or your defects. If you reveal the good that is 
in you, it is to appear holy ; if you deplore the evil, it is to seem 
humble. It is necessary to love those innocent defects in our- 
selves, which cause us confusion, and animate our humility. It 
is necessary to love, generally, all which keeps us in a state of 
abjection. Our centre is the unworthiness of our o^vn nothing- 
ness. It is here we ought to fly — it is here we ought to remain 
— it is here we ought to repose. 

To be ostentatious in your piety, is a dangerous, a perilous 
thing ; but to appear pious and virtuous when you are not so in 



36 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

reality, is a vicious hypocrisy. To be possessed of the grace and 
love of God, and to hold, unseen by men, all the treasures of a 
hidden life is, of all these conditions, the most holy and advan- 
tageous. 

What opinion have you of yourself? AYhat do you think of 
others? Do you speak well of yourself? Do you speak well 
of others? Do you take pleasure in being seen and admired? 
Do you seek grandeur, and desire riches ? Do you fly from- con- 
tempt ? Do you shrink from confession ? Are you envious of 
the fortune or advantage of others ? Do you seek to impair the 
glory of your rivals, or degrade them in the estimation of your 
fellow mortals ? Are you proud, passionate, and irritable ? Do 
you give yourself any trouble or concern about your defects, and 
imperfections? Are you afraid, of the opinions of men? Ilou 
are then base and haughty. You are vain and ambitious. You 
have the spirit of Lucifer, and not that of Jesus Christ. 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, how can I esteem humility and despise 
the humiliations which attend it? How- can I acquire this essen- 
tial virtue unless I improve every occasion that offers to humiliate 
myself? Give me this virtue, oh Lord, if Thou v>dthholdest all 
else. Though it should cost me all the houses and goods which I 
possess in this life, I submit willingly to be deprived of them, if 
Thou wilt bestow on me the -grace to love contempt, or, at least, 
to suffer it with patience, that I may possess Thee in heaven, 
where I shall never enter if I am not humble in heart and soul. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Why doth thy spirit swell against God, to utter such words 
out of thy mouth." Job, xv. 

" And said. Amen, I say unto you, unless you be converted and 
become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom 
of heaven." Matt, xviii. 

" For if a man think himself to be something, wherein he is 
nothing, he deceiveth himself." Galatiaiis, vi. 

" Be you humble, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, 
that He may exalt you in the time of visitation." 1 Peter, v. 

" And do you all insinuate humility, one to another, for God re- 
sisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble." Ibid, 



THIRD WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 37 



THIRD \YEDNESDxiY IN ADVENT. 

[On the opinion that the Jews had of St. John the Baptist, and the contempt 

they showed him.] 

ON THE TAIN JUDGMENTS OF MEN. 

1st Point. Have vou determined to remain alwavs in bond- 
age to the opinions of men '? Will you never learn to despise 
human respect ? Will you never have courage to declare your- 
self only for God? Will you never renounce the ostentation, 
and vain trappings of earth? Yfhen will you approach, and fre- 
quent the sacraments ? AVhen will you forsake those evil asso- 
ciates? When will you embrace a life of devotion? When 
v>iil you place vourself under those holv influences which de- 
mand chastity and modesty ? When will you declare yourself a 
Christian ? 

2d Point. "The world will mock at you?'-' say you. You 
have more jcause to mock at yourself, than it has. Do you not 
know that the world is the greatest enemy of God ; that it is the 
tyrant of religion, and the persecutor of the innocent? Have 
you not renounced its friendship at the baptismal font ? Why, 
then, do you still fear to displease it? If you do not wish to re- 
nounce the friendship of the world, it is necessary that you should 
renounce that of Jesus Christ. What baseness to make your- 
self a slave to the opinions of men ! What infidelity to forsake 
Jesus Christ for the wicked ! What treason, to join the ranks 
of his enemies ! What impiety, to blush at his gospel ! Are 
you not one of these base, one of these impious, one of these 
treacherous and unfaithfiil men ? 

3d Point. Oh, my God ! Plow many years I have served 
thy foes ! Hov»" long a ti-me, I have been the slave of the world ! 
But it is done. I desire to escape from them, and devote myself 
entirely to thy divine service. I wish to commence at once a 
Christian life, and openly profess the faith of Christ. Petire 
from me, ye wicked, for I am resolved to keep inviolably the 
commandments of God. The first virtue of a Christian, says St. 
Jerome, is to despise, and be despised 5 to despise the world, and 
be despised by the world. 



38 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



"If I did yet please men, I should not be the servant of 
Christ." Galatians^ i. 

" But as to me, it is a thing of the least account to be judged by 
you, or by human judgment, neither do I judge myself." 1 Cor- 
inthians^ iv. 

" Be not ashamed of any of these things, and accept no person 
to sin thereby."' Eccles, xlii. 



THIRD THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 



ON THE CONTEMPT WE OUGHT TO SHOW FOR THE JUDGMENTS OF 

MEN. 

1st Point. If men deride you, it is a testimony of your 
merit. I should believe you worthy of blame if you enjoyed 
the approbation only of those who approve of nothing but that 
which ought to be condemned. The judgment of the impious is 
not the law which should govern Christians. 

Is it necessary to give up the pursuit of wisdom, for fear 
of displeasing fools ? What right have the wicked to prescribe 
obligations for you ? Who has made you subject to them % Who 
has given them a right to your allegiance % Are you afraid of 
being defamed by the infamous % Do you fear being dishonored 
by those who are devoid of honor % 

2d Point. The wicked condemn you? A sentence is null 
which is pronounced without authority ; it is unjust, when he who 
condemns merit deserves himself to be condemned. Is it marvel- 
lous that a man should speak evil, who is acquainted with no 
good ? If the tongue of the impious accuse you, let your good 
works only reply to them. The contempt of the wicked is the 
best defence of the good, and the panegyric of their virtues. 

3d Point. Oh, Jesus, my Lord ! Thou hast but few disciples 
on earth. Thou hast but fev*^ servants who fear, and who love 
Thee, as Thou desirest to be loved and feared. I see on every 
hand the tyrants of Christianity, but I find no martyrs. Those 
few words : ' What will they say T make more apostates than 
Nero or Dioclesian did. Alas ! how will they sutTer blows of 
iron, who cannot endui'e blows inflicted by the tongue 1 How can 



THIRD FRIDAY IN ADVENT, 39 

those become martyrs of faith, who do not wish to be martyrs 
of charity ] 

For me, my God and my Saviour, I will never blush at thy 
Gospel. 'I shall profess openly, and fearlessly, that I am thy 
servant. I shall never again feel unhappy, for fear of displeasing 
those who displease Thee. On the contrary, I shall esteem it a 
great honor to be despised by those who despise Thee, and a sin- 
gular pleasure to be hated by those who love Thee not. 

AVORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that feareth m.an shall quickly fall." Fro7\xxix. 

" And I say to you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill 
the body, and after that have no more that they can do." Si. 
Luke, xii. 

'• Perfect charity casteth out fear." 1 St, John, iv. 

" And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good ? 
And be not afraid of their trouble, and be not troubled." 1 FeL iii. 



THIRD FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 

[On the patience of JohD in prison.] 
PATIENCE. 

1st Point. All the sufferings of your life combined, are nothing 
in comparison with the pains which you merit ; in comparison 
with the recompense which is prepared for you ; in comparison 
with the evils which you have committed ; in comj^arison with 
the good which you hafe omitted ; in comparison with that which 
Jesus has suffered ; in comparison with that which all the saints 
'have endured ! If you are without the cross you are not a disciple 
of Jesus Christ; if you do not carry your cross after Him, you 
shall not reign with Him. It is necessary to suffer in tim.e, or in 
eternity ; in tliis life, or after death ; on earth, or in hell. One 
cannot pass from temporal delights to eternal delights ; fr5m 
temporal joys to eternal happiness. He passes from delight to 
suffering ; from happiness to misery eternal. Consider well the 
choice before you j the cross here, or everlasting anguish here- 
after. 

2d Point. "W hen you suffer with patience, you suffer with Jesus 



40 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Christ. He reigns and abides in you; you are the victim of his 
love, the throne of his grace, the trophy of his victory. 

If you acquit yourself of all your duties, you .will, amass great 
treasures ; if you practice all the virtues, you are undermining 
the roots of all the evils which poison your heart ; you are doing 
the work of the predestined ; you are sure of your safety, and 
will avoid the pains of purgatory, and the eternal pangs of hell, 
and be received into the paradise of God. 

3d Point. Oh my God and my Father, how shall I dis- 
tinguish the evil from the good which Thou dost send me. I 
esteem myselT miserable when I am loaded with thy favors ! I 
murmur against Thee wdien Thou givest me the most sensible 
marks of thy love ! Thou dost treat ine as Thou didst thy divine 
Son, whom Thou didst send into the world, not to live in ease 
and delights, but to labor in suffering, and die in unspeakable 
pain. Alter this, what is there on earth which should possess the 
power to w^ound me? Dare I complain of sufferings, since Jesus 
Christ has suiiered all for me ? Henceforth, oh my Saviour, I will 
love and esteem sufferings, because thou hast consecrated them by 
thy bitter passion ; since they are the wages of thy love ; since 
they are the continuation of thy pains and the relics of thy cross ; 
since they are the most certain marks of the predestined, and 
the conditions without which I cannot be saved. I find consola- 
tion in my grief, wdien I meditate on thy passion ; I no longer 
complain of my cross, when I think of thine. 

To suffer and die is the life of the predestined. To die without 
having suffered is the death of the reprobate ; to suffer, and endure 
your anguish in silence, is the height of virtue — it is the inex- 
haustible depth of merit. 

I* 

^ WORDS OF SCRIPTUHE. 

" For patience is necessary for you, that, doing the will of God 
you may receive the promise." Hebrews^ x. 

" For I reckon that sufferings of the present time are not w^orthy 
to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in 
us." Romans, viii. 

" If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up 
his cross, and follow me." SL Matt, xvi. 

'' Take all that shall be brouglit upon you." Eccles, ii. 

" Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you 
should follow his steps." 1 Petei\ ii. 



THIRD SATURDAY IN ADVENT. 41 



THIRD SATURDAY. IN ADVENT. 

ON THE EXERCISE OF PATIENCE. 

1st Point. Since it is necessary to suffer in this world, we do 
not lose the fruit of our sufferincrs. Suffer for Jesus ; suffer with 
Jesus ; suffer that which Jesus suffered. 

2d Point. Suffer without complaint and without murmuring ; 
suffer with strength and constancy ; suffer — suffer with joy and 
love ; suffer all thiDgs, and from all persons ; suffer at all times, 
and in all places; suffer all kinds of miseries with submission; 
endure all injuries with resignation ; bear the cross, adore the 
cross, seek the cross. 

oD Point. Is it thus that you suffer ? Do you not complain ? 
do you not murmur 1 do you meekly bear all things 1 do you 
suffer ahvavs ] do you suffer from all the world ? do you love 
your cross '? at least do you carry it with patience ? Oh holy 
cross, I adore and embrace thee. Since I am a Christian, I am a 
child of the cross, and I will die with the cross in my arms. Thou 
art the tree of life ; thou art the asylum of sinners, and the con- 
solation of the afflicted. It is from the cross that I expect my 
salvation, since without it I cannot be saved. 

O my God ! henceforth I desire to glory only in suffering ; 
henceforth it will be my greatest cross to live without the cross ; 
the highest aim of my devotion shall be to remain silent in suffer- 
ing, and joyful under the burden of the cross. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Woe to them that have lost patience." Eccles, ii. 

"Take all that shall be brought upon you." Ihid. 

" Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you 
should follow his steps." 1 Peier^ ii. 

" For this is thankworthy, if for conscience towards God a man 
endure sorrow, suffering wrongfully." 1 Peter^ ii. 

" Be patient towards all men." 1 Thessaloniaiis^ v. 

" We glory also in tribulation ; knowing that tribulation worketh 
patience, and patience trial, ani trial hope." Romans^ v. 



42 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

Lnlce^ iii. 1-6. 

"Now in the fifteenth year of the^reign of Tiberius Caesar, 
(Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of 
Galilee, and Philip, his brother, tetrarch of Iturea, and the 
country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of xlbilina, under 
the high-priests Aimas and Caiphas.) the word of the Lord came 
to John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all 
tlie country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance 
for the remission of sins, as it was written in the book of the 
words Isaias the prophet : ' A voice of one crying in the wilder- 
ness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make straight His 
paths ; every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill 
shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and 
the rough ways plain,' and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." 



PtMtatioit. 



ON THE BAPTISM OF PENANCE. 

1st Point. The baptism of water, washes away from the souls 
of children the stain of original sin ; baptism of blood, washes 
away every stain from the souls of martyrs ; baptism of the 
heart cleanses the souls of all penitents. Penance is a bgptism, 
which eflaces their sins — which effaces them all — which effaces 
them forever. 

One can receive the baptism of water only once, but that of 
penance can be repeated, and received an infinite number of 
times. Oh, tidings of consolation to poor sinners ! Oh, we are 
worthy of chastisement if we abuse so great a grace, so inesti- 
mable a privilege, and make subservient to sin the only remedy 
for sin. 

2d Point. Do you sin often ? Do you sin grievously % Alas, 
it is an evil and perilous thing to sin against the living God, but 
yield not to despair: if you are sincerely repentant for having 
sinned, penance will efEice your guilt. Have you continued long 
in shi ? Have you despised the treasures of the goodness of 
God 1 Have you presumed to treat his patience with contempt ? 
to continue in sin, and insult the holiness of his life by the evils 
of yours 1 The mercy of God is infinite, but its designs are not. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVEX^T. 43 

lustice succeeds mercy, and frjm our wanton abuse of it, draws 
i^engeance which will be insupportable yet eternal. But abandon 
not yourself to despair, although a salutary fear should possess 
you ; you can be saved even at the hour of your death. Kepent- 
ance is never too late, if, when it conies, it is true and suicere. 
There is no sin, however enormous may be its guilt, which Ccm- 
not be effaced by the baptism of penance. 

3d Point. God does not command me to perform impossibili- 
ties ; to be more merciful and perfect than Himself. He com- 
immds me to forgive all the injuries 1 have ever received, and He 
will pardon me all the injuries 1 have ever done Him ; all the sins 
I have ever committed against his love, his patience, his mercy. 
He commands me to forgive them from my heart, without pre- 
tence or dissimulation, if 1 desire to be entirely forgiven by Him. 
He commands me to pardon all my enemies at all times, and 
even unto death. He pardons them all their sins, and at all times, 
as long as they have life for repentance. He commands me not 
only to forgive, but to forget those injuries which I have received, 
and to abstain from all thoughts or acts of revenge after I have 
pardoned them. He will then forget all those sins for which we 
have done penance, and will not punish twice the criminal thoughts 
and acts which we have committed against his divine majesty ; 
otherwise lie would command us to be more holy and merciful 
than Himself. 

If God had not left you this salutary plank of repentance, how 
could you be saved after shipwreck ? how preserve yourself from 
the abyss of hell, or reach the friendly shore of Ms mercy 1 If 
there were only one priest in the world, where, or to whom, 
would you go for absolution^ Rejoice, then, that there are 
many, and, if they find it necessary to administer to your sick 
soul the nauseous medicine of severe penances, receive it, perform 
the conditions however difficult they may be; or neglect and omit 
them, and find eternal suffering, eternal loss. If death should 
surprise you at this instant, what would be the destiny of your 
soul ? 

Chant, then, all your life, this beautiful canticle of David : 
'• Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me, bless 
his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget 
all that He has done for thee. Who forgiveth all thy iniquities, 
v/ho healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from des- 
truction, who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. Who 
satisfieth thy desires with good things, and reneweth thy youth 
like the eagle's." 



44 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



. WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'* Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I 
fcrgive him '? Till seven times ? Jesus said unto him, I say 
not to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven." Si. 
Matt, xviii. 

'* I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn 
from his ways and live." Ezechiel^ xxxiii. 

'* Your God is good, and his mercy endureth forever, and He 
will not turn his face from you, if you return to Him." 2 Para- 
Vipomenon.^ vii. 

'* Be converted, therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, 
belie-ving that He will show his mercy to you." Tobias^ xiii. 

'' Bat Thou hast mercy upon all because Thou canst do all 
things, and overlookest the sins of men, for the sake of repent- 
ance." Wisdoin^ xi. 



FOURTH MONDxiY IN ADVENT. 

CONVERSION OUGHT NOT TO BE DELAYED. 

1st Point. It is impossible for you to be saved unless you do 
penance. If you defer it, you may never be able to do it. The 
time that you hflve now, will not be always yours. The grace of 
contrition, which has touched your heart to-day, may never visit 
it again. The good resolutions which suggest themselves to you 
nov\% may never return. He who abuses time, will be deprived 
of time ; he who abuses the grace of God, will be deprived of. 
grace ; he who abuses his freedom, will be deprived of freedom. 

2d Point. You say continually, that you desire to change your 
life 1 and yet you take no steps towards doing so ! For many 
years, you have been* promising God that you would correct this 
vice, and forsake those evil associates who are prejudicial to your 
eternal interests. That vou would throw off this lukewarmness. 
and sloth, which cause your soul to revolt against the Son of God ; 
that you would be more patient, more modest, more devoted to 
his service ; more faithful to all the exercises of piety, more gen- 
tle, more liberal, and more charitable towards your neighbor. 
Where are these changes 1 Why defer your conversion another 
day ? Is it just, that you should be wicked because God is good ] 



FOURTH MONDAY IN ADVENT. 45 

How can jou dare, O sinner, to make his patience serve your 
impiety, and render his justice the slave of your malice ? 

3d Point. Sinning on in the hope of eventual pardon, is to sin 
through presumption. It is to protect and cherish an evil by the 
grace which ought to destroy it; it is to nourish and strengthen 
the sin, by the antidote which ought to destroy it ; it is to make 
repentance the depth of impenitence.. 

O my God ! what abuse, what malice, what ingratitude I have 
exhibited towards Thee ! I confess that I no longer merit that 
which 1 have so wantonly abused. I can well conceive that thy 
goodness is infinite, by the patience with which Thou hast borne 
all my derelictions ! Oh, my Lord and Saviour, wait yet a little 
longer, for it is the earnest desire of my soul to be truly con- 
verted to Thee. But no— wait no longer on me. It is not just 
that I should continue to weary thy patience. I wish to do pen- 
ance this day, this hour, this moment, without deferring it until 
to-morrow. How do I know but that to-morrow shall find me in 
eternity ? How do I know that the grace which I now have will 
abide with me until to-morrow] Where may not these resolu- 
tions have flowm before to-morrow ? 

Yes, my God ! my resolution is made. I will begin from this 
moment to change my life. Time seems too short, to repair the 
evils which I have committed. Hasten, then, my soul, to lave in 
the baptism of penance : time is fleeting, life draws towards its 
close, and death is inevitable. 

Do you know the measure of your days, that you waste them 
in sloth? If you do not do penance in time, you will wish in 

vain to do it in eternity. 

♦ 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

*' Despisest. thou the riches of his goodness and patience, and 
long-suffering? Knowest thou not that the benignity of God 
leadeth thee to penance?" Romans^ ii. 

" Repent, therefore, and be converted that your sins may 
be blotted out." Acts^ iii. _ 

" Delay not to be converted to God, and defer it not from day 
to day." Eccles. v. 

" Delay not to be converted to God ; for his wrath will come 
on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance He will destroy the%" 
Eccles. V. 



46 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



FOURTH TUESDAY IN ADVEiNT. 



Car-' 
ON THE DELAY OF PENANCE. 

1st Point. One dies as he has lived. He carries with him into 
the world beyond the grave all the evil principles and wicked 
inclinations of his nature. Is it possible to hate in a moment 
those things which one has always loved ? Is it possible to love 
m a moment that God whom one has always hated and offended ? 
The conclusion of one's life corresponds with the nature of the 
principles vrhich have animated it. If one has been governed by 
evil principles, his last end, without a miracle, will be miserable. 

2d Point. Do you not rely on these arguments ? God bestows 
his grace on his creatures A^hen it pleases Him, and reveals his 
justice in chastisements, to keep them in hope, and restrain them 
by fear. Are you the subject of his grace? Can you hold back 
the arm of his justice'? He promises you pardon if you do 
penance, but He does not promise you to-day or to-morrow, in 
order to do it. Why postpone until to-morrow that which ought 
to be done to-day ? That which is good to-morrow, is it not also 
good to-day ? Is it right, is it safe, to found on a perhaps the 
great affair of your salvation ? Perhaps you will have time ; 
perhaps you w^ill not. A malefactor was saved from despair at 
the last moment of his life ; but presume not, there was only one 
to whom the grace of penance was given. 

3d Point. You say that nothing hurries y(yu, and I say that 
every thing hurries you. Time, which is passing, and which will 
never return ; grace which inspires you, but which may never re- 
visit you ; paradise, which is open for you to-day, but which may 
be closed to-morrow ; death, which pursues you closely ; hell, 
into which you will fall ; the judgment which approaches, where 
you will have to give a strict account of your whole life : all these 
hurry you, all these urge you, and oblige you to do penance 
without procrastinating it another day. 

Oh my God ! it is a dangerous thing to postpone doing that, 
which is of such importance and ought to be done at once. It is 
dreadful to continue doing those things which ought never to have 
been done. My life is all thine, and yet I presume to offer Thee 
only a portion of it. Thou hast given me time, that I may love 
and serve Thee; is it just that I should employ that time in 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY IN ADVENT. 4^ 

offending Thee ? Oh more wicked sacrifice than that of Cain, uho 
offered the price of his flocks to God ! Do I not deserve the same 
malediction which ft^ll on him, if 1 give the first fruits, and the 
best part of my life to the devil, and the weak remnant of it to 
God ] Oh ! we cannot be too careful when the gain or loss of a 
blessed eternity depends on what we do. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may 
be blotted out." Acts, iii. 

" For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven, against all 
impiety and injustice of those men that declare the truth of God 
in injustice." Romans, i. 

'• The man that with a stiff neck despiseth Him that reproveth 
Him, shall suddenly be destroyed." Proverbs^ xxix. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY L\ ADVENT.. 

ON THE FIRST CONDITION OF TRUE PENANCE. TO PREPARE 

us FOR THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

1st Point. Penance, to be true, must come from the heart. 
As it is the heart which conceives the evil we do, it is the heart 
which should scourge and destroy it. It is that which takes us 
from God ; it ought to be that which should lead us back to Him. 
Hatred of evil proceeds from the love of virtue, and measures 
itself by the greatness of love. One hates the evil which he has 
loved, and hates it in the same proportion as he has before 
loved it. I love one thing and hate another, and my love is gov- 
erned bv the strencrth of mv hate. I then hate sin as much as I 
ought to love God ; as much as I love myself; as much as I ought 
to fear hell ; as much as I ought to desire paradise. As I love 
only God, I hate only sin. As I love the pursuit of virtue through 
God, who is the only object of my love, I hate and fear all that 
approaches evil, through sin, which ought to be the only object of 
my abhorrence. I ought to love God above all things ; I ought 
to hate sin above all things. If I surpass all others in the love of 
God, so ought 1 to exceed all others in a hatred for sin, since it 
ought to be the object of my detestation, as much as God is the 
object of my love. 



48 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. What have tou done up to the present time? Is 
the sorrow which you have conceived for your sins true and sin- 
cere'? Are you not one of those of whom God complains ; that 
they love Him with their lips, while their hearts are far- away 
from Him? If your contrition had been sincere, w^ould you have 
fallen into this or that great sin as often as your heart conceived 
it? Who can believe that you have hated it above all the 
imaginable evils of sin, when you become so quickly reconciled 
to it, after declaring that you detest it, and renewing your friend- 
ship with it more strongly and intimately than before? The 
second fall is not a certain sign that your contrition was not sin- 
cere ; but when it is frequent, and you relapse often into sins 
which can destroy the life of the soul, you are in peril, and have 
much reason to be afraid. 

3d Point. Oh my God ! I have a wicked heart. It is proud ; it 
is deceitful. Alas ! I fear I have deceived myself Until now, I 
have deluded myself with the idea that I hated sin, when in 
reality I secretly fostered and encouraged it. My heart is always 
engaged in listening to the suggestions of thy enemy, whose 
plausible excuses reconcile me to my sins. I see plainly that 1 
have never broken entirely with them, since I am constantly being 
reconciled to them. 

Oh my God ! from this moment I wish to change my life. I 
ardently wish Jesus Christ to be born in rhy heart. Oh my 
Father ! Thou knowest that it is good for me to love Thee ; that 
I detest sin and hold it in abhorrence. I hate it from my heart; 
I hate it from the bottom of my heart ; I hate it with all my 
heart ; I hate it as the greatest of all evils, because it can separate 
me from Thee, the greatest of all good ! 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" And they loved Him with their mouth, but their heart was 
not right with Him." Psahn Ixxvii. 

" And after all this, her treacherous sister Juda hath iiot re- 
turned to me with her whole heart, but with falsehood, saith the 
Lord." Jeremias^ iii. 

"Now, therefore, saith the Lord, be converted to me with all 
your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning ; and rend 
your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your 
God, for He is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in me^cy, 
and ready to repent of the evil." Joel^ ii. 



FOURTH THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 4fr 

FOURTH THURSDAY IN ADVENT. 

ON THE SECOND CONDITION OF TRUE PENANCE. 

1st Point. Penance without a detestation of mortal sin is 
null and void. Grace effaces none, if it does not efface all. You 
cannot half reconcile yourself with God. You cannot be at the 
same time in a state of grace, and a state of sin. You cannot be 
the friend and the enemy of God, at the same time ; worthy of 
his love, and of his hatred, meriting paradise, and deserving 
hell ; the child of God, and the child of the devil. He who does 
not believe all the dogmas of faith cannot believe one, through 
motives of faith ; he who does not hate all his sins^ does not hate 
one, through motives of repentance. If you hate one sin because 
you know it is displeasing to God, why not detest the others 
which are also abhorrent to Him '? To be a child of the Church 
it is necessary to believe all the truths . of faith ; to be a child of 
God it is necessary to hate all the sins which are contrary to his 
law. 

2d Point. Saul was faithless ; when, going forth at the com- 
mand of God to destroy a wicked and idolatrous, nation, he made 
an exception, and spared the life of a king whom he should have 
slain, it was the cause of his losing all, in time and in eternity. 
He became the enemy of God because he spared the enemy of 
God. Of what use will it be, if you conquer a hundred sins and 
remain the slave of one. Of what avail will it be to you to de- 
test your angry and passionate ways, if you continue to be the 
slave of impurity. It requires only one mortal blow to deprive 
the body of life ; only one mortal sin is required to destroy the 
life of the soul. 

3d Point. Examine your conscience, and see if your repent- 
ance, even up to the present time, has not been imperfect. Do 
you abhor all your sins? Have you not some cherished secret 
sin? Have you not some favorite sin which possesses your 
heart, and which you cannot resolve to destroy? How many 
times have you not indulged in this sin ? How many times have 
you not promised to forsake it ? Is it not a predomiiiant passion? 
If you were not subject to this sin, you say, you could be a saint. 
I agree with you, but as long as you remain its slave, you will be 
as a renrobate. 
3 



50 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Do penance. Drive away from your heart the enemies of God ; 
they should not tarry an instant in the place where you wish Jesus 
Chi'ist to come. Break all those fetters which have so long held 
you in bondage to the devil. Slay this king of the Amalekites ; 
kill this predominant sin, and regard it as the most dangerous 
enemy you have. Oh Lord, I desire freedom from all sin ; but I 
have so little strength, aid me by thy grace, and do Thou thyself 
drive from my heart all thy enemies. I am resolved to die or 
to destroy my sins, to lose life or to love Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart, 
that thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost, and by fraud keep part 
of the price of the field." Acts, v. 

" For if you believe me not, you shall die in your sins." SL 
John, viii. 

'' Cast aw^ay from you all your transgressions and make to 
yourselves a new heart and a new spirit ; and why will you die, 
O house of Israel ?" Ezechiel, xviii. 

" He that hideth his sins shall not prosper, but he that shall 
confess and forsake them shall obtain mercy." ProiK xxviii. 



FOURTH FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 



THIRD CONDITION OF TRUE PENANCE. 

1st Point. A man is not truly penitent, who desires to be 
so only for a season. It is necessary always to hate the evil, 
which is always hated by God. Does he really break all bonds 
of friendship with the enemy of his being, who has a design of re- 
newing them on the first opportunity ? Is it, to hate with all the 
heart a sin which one is still willing to commit ? He has not 
true contrition who only feels some contrition for his sins. As 
he can really hate it, without feeling true hatred, he can also feel 
sorry, without having true sorrow. He only hates it truly who 
resolves to destroy it. Is this your resolution '? Have you always 
resolved to destroy those sins, which separate you from God ? 

2d Point. If one does not fly the occasions of sin, he is not re- 
solved to forsake it. He who loves the cause, loves the effect. 
He who loves the danger, perishes therein. It is not enough to 



FOURTH FRIDAY IN ADVENT. 51 

hate all sin ; it is necessary to repair the injuries it has caused ; 
to restore ill-gotten goods ; to contradict the slanders by which, 
one has damaged the reputation of his neighbor ; repair the scan- 
dal he has given, make satisfaction to all whom he has offended, 
become reconciled to his enemy, not only in speech and appear- 
ance, but in effect and in heart. It is necessary to be revenged on 
one's self, and punish, by grief, the pleasure we have taken in of- 
fending God, who has transferred to repentance the right He pos- 
sesses, to punish sin ; if penance spares it-, the justice of God will 
not spare it, if it is punished by penance, his justice Avill not pur- 
sue it. 

3d Point. Is it thus that you have done penance ? Have you 
sincerely hated your sin ? Have you hated it universally ? Have 
you hated it constantly ? Do you hold in possession the goods 
of another ? Have you not injured the reputation of your neigh- 
bor ] Have you not given scandal ? What have you done to re- 
pair if? What pleasures have you deprived your body of, in 
order to punish it for the criminal pleasure it has indulged in 1 
What grief have you felt ? The guilt of criminal pleasure is ex- 
piated by grief You will suffer in eternity as many torments 
as you have know^n delights in time, unless you do penance. 

Oh God of my soul ! I know not the state I am in. Am I in 
thy grace, or under thy displeasure ? I know that I have com- 
mitted innumerable sins, but I know not that any of them have 
been pardoned. There is in penance something that can give 
me a little certainty, but I have not repented yet. At least that 
which I have done appears to me imperfect and uncertain. My 
relapses have equalled my confessions. I do not perceive any 
amendment in my life. What shall I do ? It is necessary to re- 
pair the defects of all preceding confessions, to change my life, to 
fly all occasions of sin, and execute vengeance on those already 
committed. 

I will hasten without delay to my spiritual director, lay open 
to him the wants of my soul, implore his counsel, and submit to 
whatever course his discretion suggests. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" They forgot his works." Psalm cv. 

" As much as she hath glorified herself, and hath been in deli- 
cacies, so much torment and sorrow give unto her." Apoca^ 
li/pse, xviii. 

"The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." St. Matt, \n. 



52 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS. 

ON THE NECESSARY DISPOSITIONS TO RECEIVE OUR DIVINE SAVIOUR. 

1st Point. That Je^as Christ may be born in our hearts, it is 
necessary to prepare them for his reception by penance. It is 
necessary to drive away the evil spirits which possess them, by a 
good and sincere confession. Jesus and Satan cannot remain 
together in one soul ; the light and darkness, the truth and the 
untruth, sanctity and malice, cannot be allied. If your soul is 
guilty of some mortal sin, if it is the slave of some wicked habit, 
if it is engaged in the proximate and dangerous occasions of sin, 
if it is filled with the esteem and aifection of the world, Jesus 
cannot be born there ; He will go and lodge in a stable. 

2d Point. That Jesus Christ may be born in our hearts, it is 
necessary to humiliate ourselves. '* When He comes^^'' says St.' 
John, '"'' the valleys shall be filled iip^ ojid the mountains laid lowy 
God resists the proud, and gives his grace to the humble. Jesus, 
who is the author of grace, wil-1 not be born in your soul if pride 
reigns there. Mary obtained Him by her virginity, but she con- 
ceived Him by her humility. He wished to be born, not in the 
royal city of Jerusalem, but in the little town of Bethlehem ; not 
in a palace, but in a stable. He did not manifest himself to 
haughty Herod, but to poor shepherds. 

3d Point. That Jesus Christ may be born in our hearts, it is 
necessary to be at peace with God, and tranquil in our conscience. 
It is necessary to make straight the crooked ways, and smooth 
that which is rough and uneven. The effects of his coming, and 
the dispositions proper to receive Him, are sweetness and peace. 
At the hour of his birth peace reigned on earth ; the angels 
chanted a canticle of peace when they announced it ; ^'He has^^^ 
says David, '"' estahlislied his kingdom in jpeaceP If, then, you 
desire to receive Him, you must calm the tumult of your feelings, 
repress all angry emotions, banish all evil passions, invite peace 
to reign in your heart, peace with God, peace with your neighbor, 
peace with yourself. Alas ! how can I hope to receive the God 
of peace, I who have sinned daily and have refused to do pen- 
ance; I who am so proud, so distrustful, so arrogant, so ambi- 
tious ; I who am always agitated by my passions ; who am so 
hasty and impatient ; I who am so continually in difficulties, and 



CHRISTMAS EVE. d§ 

who render myself so disagreeable to all around me, by my wicked 
humors ; I who have no amiability or mildness, and who will not 
suffer the smallest evil from another. 

Oh, Saviour of the world, who hast come to give peace to 
mankind, give it to my poor soul, which has long sought it, but 
cannot find it among creatures ; command the winds to abate and 
the sea to be still, then there shall be a calm in my soul ; Thou 
who didst command thy disciples, when they entered into a house, 
to invoke peace on all who dwelt therein, refuse not thy peace to 
me, when Thou shalt enter into my heart to-morrow. To obtain 
it I will fly to the tribunal of penance, that I may be cleansed 
of all my sins ; I will humiliate my spirit, I will long for thy 
coming, and sigh to participate in the joys of thy birth. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Rejoice in the Lord always ; I say again rejoice. Let your 
modesty be known to all men." Philip, iv. 

" And the peace of God, that surpasseth all understanding, keep 
your minds and hearts in Jesus Christ." Ibid. 

" Her time is near at hand, and her days shall not be pro- 
longed. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet 
choose out of Israel." Isaias, xiv. 

"And his place is in peace." Psalm Ixxv. 

" In his days shall justice spring up and abundance of peace, till 
the moon be taken awav." Paalm Ixxi. 



CHRISTMAS EVE. 

The Gospel. LuTce^ ii. 1-14. 

" And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree 
from Caesar x\.ugustus that the whole world should be enrolled. 
This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, governor of Syria. 
And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And 
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, 
into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem : be- 
cause he was of the house of the family of David, to be enrolled 
w^ith Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came 
to pass, that when they were there her days were accomplished, 
that she should he delivered. And she brou^^ht forth her first- 
born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him 
m a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 



54 DEVOUT MEDITATIOJsS. 

And there were in the same country shepherds, watching and 
keeping the night-watches over their flocks : and behold an angel 
of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone 
round about them, and they feared with a great fear. And the 
angel said to them, Fear not : for behold I bring you good tidings 
of great joy, that shall be to all the people : for this day is born 
to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 
And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe 
wrapped in swaddling clothes and I'aid in a manger. And sud- 
denly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, 
praising God, and saying : Glory to God m the highest and on 
earth, peace to men of good will." 

ON THE JOURNEY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND ST. JOSEPH TO 

BETHLEHEM. 

1st Point. Augustus Caesar ordered all of his subjects' to be 
enrolled, each one in his own country. Mary and Joseph, in 
obedience to the decree, went up to Bethlehem. Admire the 
obedience exhibited by the Son of God to this prince, who had 
issued the edict in order to ascertain the strength of his empire, 
and levy a new tribute on his subjects. As He died through 
obedience. He wished also to be born through obedience. It is 
the first and the last lesson he gave us. 

Mary and Joseph, who did nothing except by the inspirations 
of the Divine Child, did not question the reasons of this edict, or 
pretend to be exempt from the obligation of obeying this earthly 
prince, because they had with them the King of heaven and earth. 
They did not excuse themselves on account of the severity of the 
winter, the length and ruggedness of the road, or the delicate con- 
dition of the virgin mother, who vras near the time of her maternal 
trial, but they obeyed God blindly, in the persons of the ministers 
of his will ; they obeyed Him courageously, under the most dif- 
ficult and humiliating circumstances : they obeyed Him promptly 
and without delay ; they obeyed Him cheerfully, without mur- 
mur or complaint. Is it thus that you obey God and your 
superiors ? 

2d Point. When they arrived at Bethlehem they sought lodg 
ings, but as they were poor, and humble in their appearance, 
none would receive them ! God could have changed the order 
of nature, appeased the rigor of the season, touched with compas- 
sion the hearts of the people of Bethlehem, and retarded or ad- 



CHRISTMAS EVE. 55 

vanced the period when the Blessed Virgin could be delivered of 
her Divine Son. The thought of her comfortable but humble 
home, in Nazareth, caused na repinings in the heart of our blessed 
ladf , as she wandered through Bethlehem, seeking in vain for rest 
and shelter ! God could have changed all this, but he did not 
wish to do so. He permitted that this edict should be published 
at this time, because He designed that his Son should be born in 
a stable to give the world a great example of humility and 
poverty. He allowed events to go on in the ordinary course of 
providence, in order to teach us to submit patiently to all natural 
circumstances, and to yield a cheerful obedience to our superiors, 
ecclesiastical and temporal, good and bad, without demanding ex- 
emption or dispensation through any good in ourselves, or influ- 
ence vfe might invoke. And yet. Christian soul 1 you wish that 
God should work miracles for you, and change the whole order 
of nature to accommodate your caprices ! 

3d Point. Why is it that Mary seeks a lodging-place for her 
Divine Son ? It is through the profound reverence she feels for 
the august infant, and that she may omit nothing which is in her 
power to do to have him well lodged ; it is in order to render the 
Jews inexcusable, they having refused to receive the holy family 
into their homes. Why did God allov/ them . to refuse her'? In 
order to show how the world hated his Son, rejecting and despis- 
ing Him, even before his birth, and to teach us that those w^ho 
have the spirit of the world, and who are filled with the vain de- 
sires of the w^orld, have no wish to receive or entertain Jesus 
Christ, but drive him away, despise Him, and refuse Him entrance 
into their hearts. 

My soul ! behold Jesus, who seeks shelter and wishes to enter 
into thy heart ; behold Him meekly and lovingly aw^aiting your 
decision ; will you refuse him admission ? Will you thrust Him 
away, to be lodged in a stable ? What would you have done, 
had you been a resident of Bethlehem, and Mary and Joseph had 
come and prayed you to give themselves and their Son lodgings? 
Are you not more guilty than the Jews, who did not know" Him? 
How many times has not Jesus knocked at the door of your 
heart? How many times have you not refused Him admittance? 
How many times have you not driven Him away, after having 
received Him ? Oh miserable soul ! do you know who is de- 
manding a place to lodge in ? Oh twice miserable soul, if you 
know, and yet will not receive Him, what will you reply in the 
day of judgment, when He reproaches your ingratitude, and shall 
say, " / was a stranger and you took me not in P 



S6 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

4th Point. Mary and Joseph, finding no one willing to receive 
them, were obliged to go out of the inhospitable city ; wearied 
and chilled, they seek the shelter of an open stable, or, as some 
say, a cavern at the foof of a hill, w^hich served as a stable •^md 
retreat for animals. The Queen of Heaven entered into this 
palace of poverty with a divine modesty, without a complaint or 
murmur against the inhabitants, much less against the providence 
of God. Entering here, she fell on her knees, and with her chaste 
spouse thanked God for having brought them to this state of 
poverty, humility and patience. She prepared for repose, and at 
that instant being in prayer, and all the world silent and peaceful, 
she was delivered of her Son Jesus, who passed from her chaste 
womb as the sun passes over a mirror, without sullying its pur- 
ity ! Oh my God ! my Lord ! thy judgments are profound ! 
thy ways are admirable ! Who w^ould ever have believed that 
this child was thy Son, seeing how little care Thou didst appa- 
rently take in not providing a more suitable place for his birth 
than an open stable 1 What reason have I to complain of the 
poverty and miseries of life after seeing how thy providence 
dealt wdth the three persons most dear to Thee on earth ! Oh 
blessed lady ! Oh Immaculate Virgin ! I am sorrowful to behold 
thee so maltreated and scorned by men, as to be obliged to retire 
into a placed little in keeping with thy dignity and honor. Oh! 
had I been living then, and know^i thee, as T now know thee, with 
what rapture w^ould I not have received thee. into my dwelling. 
The costliest of my treasures should have been placed at thy dis- 
posal, and I would have been thy servant ! 

I can now enjoy the same great happiness ! I can now render 
thee the same service by offering thee a lodging for thy divine 
Son in my heart ! Come, then, my dear and immaculate mother ; 
bring thy divine babe to me ; pray Him to enter into my soul. 
Alas ! it is a poor and miserable stable, but since He preferred 
the stable of Bethlehem to the magnificent palace of kings, He 
will not disdain to enter into my heart, if thou wilt ask Him to 
do so ! 

Oh wisdom of God I Oh root of Jesse ! Oh key of David ' 
Oh Emanuel ! Oh lawgiver and reparator of the w^orld ! Come 
and deliver me from thy enemy, and my passions ! Come and 
deliver me from the shadow of death where I have been buried 
for years ; come, resplendent sun, enlighten m-e with thy beams 
and embrace me in thy love ! All the just desire Thee — all poor 
sinners sigh for Thee — all miserable captives implore Thee to 
come and strike off their chains ; all the prophets call Thee, be- 



CHRISTMAS-DAY. 57 

seech Thee, and desire Thee. The Church bays to us, that the 
iniquity of the world shall be effaced by the coming of the Saviour, 
who will reign forever. Come, then, oh divine Saviour, and ac- 
complish the promise Thou hast made to us through thy Holy 
Church ; drive thy enemy from my soul ; blot out my sins by 
thy grace, and reign over me in peace, through time and in 
eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Go forth, daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the dia- 
dem wherewith his mother crowned him." Canticle iii. 

" The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ; 
to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is 
risen." Isaias^ ix. 

" For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the 
government is on his shoulders, his name shall be called Wonder- 
ful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, 
the Prince of peace." Isaias, ix. 

^'He came unto his own; his own received him not." St, 
John^ i. 

" But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to be 
made the sons of God." aS'^. John^ i. 

'' For the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all imen. 
Instructing us, that, renouncing impiety and worldly desires, we 
should live soberly and justly, and piously in this w^orld." 
Titus J ii. 



CHPtlSTMAS-DAY. 

ON THE WORDS OF THE AXGELS TO THE SHEPHERDS. 

1st Point. An angel appeared to the shepherds, and said to 
them, ^'' Fear not^for beho\l I bring you good tidings of great joy ^ 
that shall he to all the peopled What led the angel to visit the 
shepherds ? W^hy did he not go with the w^onderful tidings to 
King Herod, to the high-priests, and the princes of the law] 
Why did he not seek the learned, the rich, and the noble of the 
world, to impart the news to? Why did he prefer the poor and 
ignorant shepherds to them ? Oh judgments of God ! ye are won 
derful and terrible to the children of men! '• Consider, rmj 
brethren,'^'' says St. Paul, " those among you whom God has called 
3* 



58 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

thai there are not many ivise according to the fleshy not many 
mighty^ not many noble. But the foolish things of the world hath 
>God chosen^ that He may confound the wise ; and the weak things 
of the world hath God chosen^ that He may confound the strong. 
And the base things of the world^ and the things that are contempt- 
ible hath God chosen^ and things that are not^ that He might bring 
to naught things that are ; that 7io flesh should glory in his sight,^^ 
Are y ou one of the great ones of the world 1 Humiliate your- 
self, for God despises the proud and haughty. Are you unknown 
and despised by the world ? Console yourself; God himself will 
aid you to accomplish a great work if you are faithful to Him. 

2d Point. God manifested this sublime mystery to the shep- 
herds, in preference to the great and powerful ones of the world, 
because the shepherds were humble and lowly, and the great are 
generally filled Avith pride and haughtiness; because the shep- 
herds were watching, and the rich and mighty of the earth were 
bui:ied in slumber ; because the shepherds were men of simple 
minds and lives, and the great ones of the world were deceitful, 
sensual, artful, and crafty men ; because the shepherds were in- 
nocent, and the great are generally wicked. The shepherds also 
represented the prelates of the Church, who watch over the flock 
of Jesus Christ, to whom God first manifested the mysteries of 
his* faith, that they might instruct those who receive it. The 
good news that the angel brought to the shepherds, was, " that a 
Saviour was born to them!" How sweet and joyful are the 
tidings of liberty to a captive; what rapture fills the heart of the 
blind, when they are assured their sight will be restored ; what 
gratitude and hope animates him who is bowed down with sickness 
and infirmities, when he learns that he is to be healed ; what joy 
overwhelms the criminal condemned to death, when some friendly 
voice announces to him, that he is pardoned, — that his life is 
spared. All men were held in captivity by the devil, before and 
after death. Jesus came to deliver them from the power of this 
tyrant ; He released them from the prison of darkness and suffer- 
ing whither they had gone, and opened for them the gates of 
Heaven, where they might reign eternally with Him. Oh what a 
Saviour ! what a Liberator ! what captivity ! what misery ! Re- 
joice, poor sinners condemned to eternal woe ! Rejoice ! a Saviour 
is born for you ; a deliverer w^ho is born only that you may be 
saved. 

3d Point. This Saviour was born for all men, but especially for 
the poor, for the humble, for the afflicted, and those who separate 
themselves from the world, and lead a laborious life, like the shep- 



CHRISTMAS-DAY. 59 

herds. He was born visibly only once on earth, but He is born in- 
visibly every day in the hearts of men by grace, through penance ; 
and it is particularly at this holy season, that He causes the samd 
effects in his Church that his birth caused in the world ; delivering 
men from the tyranny of sin, communicating to them the life of his 
grace, and imparting to them a celestial peace and joy which is in- 
expressible. Oh my God, my Saviour ! I thank Thee for the 
glorious tidings I hear, that Thou art my Saviour, and that Thou 
wast born for me. Oh my soul ! lose not courage, you have a 
Saviour ! Rise up quickly ; seek the shepherds, and go with 
them to adore Him in the stable where He is born. You will 
recognize Him by his poverty, his sweetness, his charity ; these 
are the marks of the Saviour who is born for you. Oh Saviour 
of my soul ! I come to prostrate myself at thy feet, and offer my 
homage to Tiiee, as to my God and my sovereign Lord. I do 
not enter into thy palace with fear, but with confidence. Thy 
voice does not terrify me as it did Adam, but fills me with sorilDw 
and compassion for thy misery. AYho can fear a child — a child 
who weeps through pity for our miseries, and who comes to de- 
liver us? I am overwhelmed with joy! I am transported with 
love, and I cannot refrain from crying out with Isaias, '' Behold 
my God and my Saviour^ What reason have I to fear ? What 
ought I not to hope ? I behold in his hands, in his feet, and in 
his side, the fountains of life ever open for me, where I can find 
with joy the waters of salvation. 

Oh divine child ! oh desire of the eternal hills ! Blessed is the 
womb thai bore Thee, and the paps that gave Thee suck. Oh holy 
Virgin, thou art the happiest and most glorious of all women, be- 
cause thou hast given a Saviour to a lost world. Thou art now 
the mother of God, and the mother of men, since by giving life 
to a God, thou hast given it to all men. Oh do not leave me, for 
whom thy Son was born to perish. Let this Holy Infant be born 
m my soul, since it is for this that He was born on earth, and ob- 
tain for me, oh most tender of mothers, graces so powerful, that 
I may be among those who ar« eternally saved. 



60 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

FOR THE SAME DAY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. As soon as the angel had imparted the glad and 
wondrous tidings- to the shepherds, there suddenly appeared with 
him a great multitude of the celestial army, who, in strains of 
transporting sweetness, sang with him, saying, " Glory be to God 
on high^ and on earthy peace to men of good wilV^ Behold the 
fruits of this great feast ; one of which is, to advance the glory of 
God, the other, to give peace to men of good will, not indifferently 
to all, but to those whose hearts are right, and who conform to the 
Divine will. Do not interrupt this beautiful canticle of the 
angels ; change not the work which God has done. He has re • 
served glory for himself, and given you peace. Take his peace 
for yourselves, but presume not in any way to assume the glory 
which is his. If you rob Him of his glory. He will take from 
you your peace. 

2d Point. What is vour state at this moment ? What are the 

»/ 

dispositions of your heart 1 Are you at peace '? Whence comes 
this turmoil, this distrust, this vain sorrow which consumes you ? 
Alas ! without doubt, you have partaken of the forbidden fruit. 
You are haughty and ambitious. The words of the angel have 
not pleased you. You wish to take God's glory from Him, and 
enjoy his peace ; but that you can never do. You shall have his 
peace w4ien you seek his glory. If you seek your own glory, you 
shall have neither glory or peace. 

3d Point. Oh my soul ! unite in this sublime and beautiful 
canticle of the angels ; praise Him and glorify Him with them. 
Oh it is grand ! Oh it is admirable ! Oh it does us good ! Oh it is 
charitable, and sweet, and merciful, since He is the first to seek 
us, who have been his enemies, and condescends to offer us peace, 
instead of destroying us, as our sins deserve. Oh what more di- 
vine employment can be found, than to praise and glorify our 
God and King ? Is it not. for this end that He has created us ? 
What madness and injustice, then,.in preferring to blaspheme and 
insult Him with devils, rather than to praise and give Him glory 
with the angels. Let me chant eternally the praises of my God, 
and let the beautiful canticle be forever on my lips : " Glory he to 
God in the highest^ and peace on earth to men of good wilV^ 



CHRISTMAS-DAY. t>l 



WORD« OF SCRIPTURE. 



" God having spoken on div^ers occasions and in many ways, in 
times past, to the fathers, by the prophets, last of all hath spoken, 
in these days, to us by his Son." Hebrews^ i. 

'' Because the light is come into the world, and men loved dark- 
ness rather than the light, for their works were evil." St, John^ iii. 

" The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but 
Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood." 
Isaias^ i. 

" Drop do^m dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds 
rain the just, let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour." 
Isaias, xlv. 

" Verily Thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel,. the Saviour." 
Isaias^ xlv. 

" Therefore my people shall know my name in that day, for I 
myself that spoke, behold I am here." Isaias, Iii. 



FOR THE SAME DAY. 

ON THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

1st Point. Never has God revealed Himself in more grandeur, 
than when He manifested himself in weakness. Never has He 
shown himself more powerful, than when He made himself in- 
firm. Never has He appeared more amiable, than when He made 
himself poor and miserable. When I see a God become the 
child of men, it consoles me to think that men can become the 
children of God ! When I behold Him in the stable, I know that 
humility is necessary for me, and I am strengthened by the con- 
templation of his poverty. When I see Him pillowed on straw, 
I think with disgust of the grandeurs and pomps of the world, 
and despise all that is proud and sensual in myself When I see 
Him weeping, sighing, and trembling with the cold, I know that 
[ must learn to endure all trials and privations, and do penance. 

2i) Point. Regard, my soul, the body of this divine babe, as 
the august temple of wisdom. All of his actions are regulated 
by wisdom. All of his sighs ard moans are lessons of wisdom. 
The manger where He reposes, is the throne of wisdom. His 
silence is the voice of wisdom. His sleep is the ecstasy of wis- 



62 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

dom. Enter, my soul, into the stable at Bethleheni, and learn 
from this divine Teacher, those holy lessons of humility and pov- 
erty, which will give us a sincere contempt for the world, for its 
pride, and esteem. 

3d Point, .iesus deceives himself, or the world abuses Ilim. 
Can Jesus deceive himself? Which of the two do you believe'? 
The birth of Jesus is the condemnation of the world. He has 
condemned all those who have rejected and despised Him. If I 
love the esteem of the world, I shall be condemned with it. If I 
do not resemble this divine babe, I cannot be saved. Oh divine 
child ! Oh desired of all nations ! What entrance didst Thou make 
into the w^orld '? What reception have thy creatures met with ? 
Have not the magnificence and s^olendor with which Thou shouldst 
have been received, been lavished on them ? 

Who could believe that a God, wishing to become a m.an, 
would have been born in a poor stable, and wept like a child '? 
Oh tears of my Saviour, ye console the afflicted, and constrain the 
voluptuous to forsake the fleeting, and baseless joys of earth. 
My soul, do you not feel a tender compassion for this child, who 
begins to cancel your debts, and makes satisfaction for your sins, 
by his tears, to the justice of that God whom you have so often 
irritated ? Can you still waste time in seeking the gratification 
of your senses, when you know that your God begins and ends 
his life in suffering ? Shall you love and prize the goods of earth, 
when you see Him poor and despised ? 

Love only that which He loves, despise that which He hates, 
imitate all that He does, endure with joy that which He suffered, 
for He came into the world to instruct us by his words and his 
example. He is the word, the truth and the life. If you walk 
not in his footsteps, you are not his disciple, and can never in- 
herit eternal life. 

WORDS or SCRIPTURE. 

" For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us." Imias, ix. 

"Rejoice and praise, oh thou habitation of Sion, for. great is 
He that is in the midst of thee, the holy one of Israel." Isaio.s, xii. 

"I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the 
people. For this day is born to you a Saviour." Ln/ce, ii. 

" Let us go over to Bethlehem, let us see this word that is come 
to pass." Luke. ii. 

"And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us." St. 
lohn, i. 

*'For God so loved the w^orld, as to give his only-begotten 



ASPIRATIONS TO THE INFANT JESUS. 63 

Son, that whosever believeth in Him. may not perish, but may 
have life everlasting." Jolin^ iii. 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, being 
rich, He became poor for your sakes, that through his poverty 
you might be rich." 2 Corinthians^ viii. 



ASPIRATIONS OF TENDERNESS TOWARDS THE 

INFANT JESUS. 

1st Point. Oh God of wisdom ! Thou who hast chosen a stable 
for thy palace, and a manger for the throne of thy glory, where 
shall I hide myself in thy presence? What confusion to a proud 
and haughty mortal, to behold his God lying in a place so mean 
and poor ! What insolence in a worm of the earth, to desire his 
own elevation, when he beholds his God thus humiliated, and his 
infinite majesty veiled under the very weakest form of humanity ! 
Is it Thou, oh God, who deceivest us, or is it the world which 
abuses our credulity ? The wisdom of God cannot deceive us, 
nor can He deceive himself. It is, then, the world which deludes 
us into esteeming that which we ought to despise, and despising 
that which we ought to esteem. 

2d Point. Oh God of love ! Thou hast concealed thy majesty 
under the form of a little child, but Thou hast made thy good- 
ness and mercy shine forth with great lustre and glory. Never 
hast Thou appeared so amiable as in thy poverty and misery ! 
Never has thy goodness appeared greater than in thy birth ! I 
have always feared Thee under the form of God, but I am con- 
strained to love Thee under the form of a little child. The Lord 
is great ; who will not praise Him ? The Lord has condescended 
to assume a form of littleness ; who wdll not love Him ? 

3d Point. Who can stand in dread of a little child ? W^ho is 
it that is not touched with compassion by the tears of a child ? 
Thy tears fill me with compassion, sweet Jesus, and not with fear ! 
They lift up my fallen hopes, instead of causing me to think of 
defying thy divine goodness. If Thou hadst power to make thy- 
self one of the children of men, canst Thou not make me a child 
of God '] If Thou hadst power to take on thyself the misery of 
our infirmities, canst Thou not bestow eternal happiness on me? 
Oh divine child ! loved of all the earth, the most beautiful of 
mortals, the joy of paradise ! My heart is moved with sentiments 
of unutterable tendernesii when I see Thee weeping, and hear The© 



64 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

sighing and groaning ! I have long resisted thy power, but thy 
infirmities have disarmed me and led me captive. I have de- 
spised thy greatness, all terrible as it is, but thy humility has 
delighted and drawn me to Thee. I have defied Thee, and 
battled against Thee when Thou wast God, but Thou hast tri- 
umphed ovef me in becoming man. I have defended m;yself 
against thy anger, but I cannot resist thy love. Oh greatest of 
rJl kings ! Thou art admirable as God, and Thou art amiable as 
man ! I am more astonished to see Thee debase thyself, than to 
see Thee elevated above all ; to hear Thee weeping on earth, than 
to hear Thee thundering in heaven. Only one of thy tears kindles 
a greater fire of love for Thee in my soul, than all the lightnings 
of Mt. Sinai have ever done ! Since Thou hast assumed the in- 
firmities of my nature and the evils of my state, do I hope in 
vain that Thou wilt give me thy virtues, and take me into thy 
everlasting habitation above, since Thou didst descend on earth, 
to seek and save me ! 

Oh, dear child of Mary, come and let me receive Thee in my 
arms, rest in my heart, and bathe me with thy tears, bless me 
with thy little hands, kiss me with thy sacred mouth! I forget 
what I am in seeing Thee ; forget what Thou wert. If I am defi- 
cient in the respect which I owe Thee, remember that thy exces- 
sive love is the cause. If Thou didst not wish to be loved, why 
hast Thou rendered thyself so amiable ? Oh my judge ! my 
Saviour! I am filled with terror when I think of Thee, on the 
throne of thy glory ! But I am penetrated with joy, love, and 
compassion, when I see Thee wrapped in swaddling clothes, and 
laid in a manger. Wert Thou made man that we might fear 
Thee ? Didst Thou assume human flesh to damn us ? Alas ! if I 
am lost it will be through my fault and not thine. Do not, oh 
my Saviour, suffer so horrible an evil to befall me ! Since Thou 
hast descended from heaven to earth to seek me, fly not from me, 
now that Thou hast found me ! Let me not work out mv own 
condemnation, since Thou hast come into the world to save me. 
Amen. 



FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN. 

ON HIS VIRTUES AND MARTYRDOM. 

1st Point. To speak according to the Scripture, St. Stephen 
was full of faith^ that is, he had a lively faith, an active faith, a 



FEAST OF Sr. STEPHEN. 65 

perfect faith^ a firm faith, a constant and immovable faith, and, 
above all, a declared fliith, Avhich did not blush at the gospel. 
Are you full of faith ? Do you profess it openly and without 
shame? Do you not fear to be known as a disciple of Jesus 
Christ ? Is your faith fall of life and activity ? Do you embrace 
all the maxims of the gospel ? Do you believe and understand 
its practical truths '? Does your faith shine in the darkness as 
well as in the light, in the tempest as steadily as in the calm 1 
You believe there is a heaven, but do you believe that to enter 
therein it is necessary to become as a little child, and to suffer 
many tribulations'? You believe that Jesus Christ i*s really 
present, under the form of bread, a hidden God ; but do you 
believe also that He is hidden under the guise of poverty, in the 
persons of the poor, who ask alms of you ? 

Alas ! you are not filled w^ith faith, but with infidelity ! You 
only believe half; you believe with doubt, you believe only for 
a season ; you do not believe that which is spoken to you by au- 
thority. Then if you do not believe all, you are a heretic and an 
infidel. 

2d Point. St. Stephen was filled with grace. He was pure in 
his body and strong in his soul. It is this which made him ap- 
pear as an angel in the synagogue, for those whose souls are pure, 
and in a state of grace, are possessed of a brilliancy and splendor 
and an angelical beauty. Oh, if the vices which you have con- 
cealed in your heart, and the impurities with which you stain 
your body, were outwardly revealed, you would appear like one 
of those evil and accursed spirits of hell who, without hope them- 
selves, malici(5usiy practice evil, to cause the damnation of others. 
You are not filled with grace but with sin, wdth pride, with envy, 
with vanity, with anger, with disquiet, with impatience, and all 
other vices, 

3d Point. St. Stephen was filled with strength ; he appeared 
to fioht couraoreouslv with the enemies of Jesus Christ, and to 
suffer death for Him ; no one had yet been martyred, and he de- 
sired and rejoiced to set the example. And you, oh Christian, 
are cowardly ; you spare yourself, and slink away from every 
trial ; the least infirmity or sickness that lays hold of you, the 
least adversity that happens to you, cause you to lose courage 1 
It is only necessarv for anv one to throw a stone or utter a harsh 
w^ord, to place you in peril of almost renouncing your faith. It is 
only necessary to inflict an injury on you, to cause you to forget 
that you are a Christian ! What then? Have you not promised, 
at the baptismal font, to die in the defence of your faith ? How 



(56 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

will you, who are not able to bear the lashes of an evil tongue, 
beai the sword of persecution? How will you, who are not able 
to endure a slight injury, or a harsh w^ord, bear the heavy stones 
w^hich the enemies of God will hurl at you w^hen they seek your life ? 
4th Point. St. Stephen was filled with the Holy Ghost, from 
whom proceeded his charity towards God and his neighbor. He 
showed his love for God by dying in the conflict; he showed his 
love for his neighbor by praying for those who stoned him ; he 
grieved more for the sins he had committed, than for the torments 
he endured ; he w^as a martyr of the body and of the heart ; of 
the body, in dying by the hands of his enemies ; of the heart, in 
praying for hi-s enemies. Are you full of charity 1 Are you full 
of the Holy Ghost ? Do you grieve more for the evils which are 
infiicted on you than for those which you have committed ? Do 
you love your enemies ? Do you return them good for evil 1 Do 
you pray for them and forgive them from your heart? If you 
forgive them not, God will not forgive you. Forgive, and you 
shall be forgiven. Help others, and you shall be aided in time 
of need. Oh, what more glorious martyrs than those of the heart ! 
Oh, what more noble, than those of the body ! For it is more dif- 
ficult to forgive an injury, than to suffer some bodily pang. You 
cannot be a martyr in the body, be one, therefore, in your soul. 
See the heavens open, and Jesus, who is the spectator of your 
combats, appears ; say to Him, as Saint Stephen did, oh my Lord 
Jesus ! pardon, I pray Thee, ail those who have offended me, and 
do not impute to them the sins they have committed against Thee, 
and against me. Oh my Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, and give 
me thine ! Take from me my spirit, which is s6 base, so un- 
faithful, so unworthy of pity, so wicked, so hasty, so unforgiving, 
and give me thine, w^hich is a strong and faithful spirit, a holy 
and sweet spirit, a patient and charitable spirit, that, after life's 
conflict ends, I may see thy face in peace. Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTUHE. 

"Now Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders 
and miracles among the people." Acts, vi. 

" And all they w4io sat in the council, looking earnestly upon 
him, saw his face, as it were the face of an angel." Ibid. 

" And he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadflistly 
to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right 
hand of God." Acts, vii. 

" And, kneeling down, he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Acts, vii. 



FE-AST OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. o7 

FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. 

ON THESE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL : 

" The disciple thai Jesus loved.^^ St. John, ii. 

1st Point. St. John loved Jesus Christ, and he was beloved by 
Jesus Christ. The love he bore Jesus Christ constituted his hap- 
piness ; the love he bore Jesus Christ was his merit ; their mutual 
love rendered St. John the friend of Jesus, because friendship de- 
mands a return of the same. r 

Can you, for an instant, doubt that you are loved by Jesus 
Christ ? The general and particular graces, which He has given 
you, are incontestible proofs of his love. See Him in a stable ! 
Behold Him on the cross ! Contemplate Him on our altars ! Be- 
hold the love He has shown towards you ! How many times have 
you eaten at his table 1 How many times have you reposed on his 
bosom, and He on yours, in holy communion? Can you, after 
these unspeakable favors, still doubt his love ? Recall to memory 
all the benefits He has bestowed on you, from the moment of 
your birth, and, penetrated with gratitude, you must acknowledge 
that you are the well-beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. But are 
you the well-loving disciple? What have been the visible signs 
of your love ? In what manner have you corresponded with his 
graces and blessings ? If He were to ask you, as He did St. Peter, 
*' Simon^ S071 of John, lovest thou me P could you answer, with 
truth, that you love Him ? Are you ready to leave all for Him, 
you, who cannot desist from a sinful gratification, for the sake of 
his love? You declare your willingness to die for Him, notwith- 
standing which you cannot endure a few harsh words, or bear the 
infliction of injustice or injury, with patience, for his sake. 

2d Point. One of the effects of the love of Jesus Christ for St. 
John, was the high knowledge it gave him of the incomprehensi- 
ble mysteries of faith, especially of his divinity and his incarna- 
tion, which he explains in these astonishing words: "'In the be- 
ginning was tJie Word, and the Word ivas with God, and the Word 
was God: And the Word vjas made flesh, and dwelt among vs,"* 
Another result of this love was, that Jesus allowed him the sweet 
privilege of resting on his bosom. The third was, in consigning 
to his care, and giving to him as his own, his holy mother, as they 



I 



68 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

stood, filled with grief, at the foot of his cross ! Behold, again, 
if you are not more blind and ungrateful than all the world, that 
you are the well-beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. Remember 
and consider all the truths which He has revealed to you ! Behold 
with how tender a compassion he has entered in your heart in 
holy communion, and caused you to rest on his bosom ! Oh 
divine banquet ! Oh holy place of rest, where the little Benjamin 
reposes in delight and rapture, while the others sit at meat! 
Has not Jesus given you to his dear mother, as he did St. John 1 
Does he not say to you, when you stand afflicted and weeping at 
the foot of the cross, " Son^ behold thy mother!^'' Why, then, do 
you not always pray to Him ? Why do you not invoke her aid 1 
Why have you so little confidence in her maternal love 1 

3d Point. St. John testified his love for Jesus Christ by the 
chaste purity of his body, by the fidelity of his soul, and by the 
inseparable attachment he felt for his divine Master, which led 
him even up to the foot of the cross ; by the contempt he felt for 
the world, which is the enemy of God ; by the love he bore to- 
wards his fellow men, and which he so often and so emphatically 
recommends to us, in these words; ''^ Love one another P'' And, 
finally, by the love he bore to the Blessed Virgin, and the filial 
services he delighted to render her. Is not loving the son to love 
the mother also ? Is it not honoring the son to honor the mother 1 
Is it thus that you love Jesus 1 Are you chaste in body and soul ? 
Are you faithful .to the duties which your love for Him demands'? 
Above all, do you follow your Master ? Do you accompany Him 
to Calvary as well as to Thabor ? Do you not abandon Him when 
He is outraged and insulted by the impious 1 Do you stand by 
Him when they lead Him to his cross ] Do you hate the world ? 
Do you love your neighbor? Are you devoted to the Blessed 
Virgin? Do you receive and love her as your mother? Jesus, 
my Saviour ! my soul is filled with consolation, when I see how 
Thou hast loved me ! But I am overwhelmed with shame, when 
I reflect how little I have loved thee ? What hast Thou found in 
me worthy of thy love ? What have I seen in Thee unworthy of 
my love? Nothing, my Saviour, and yet I am cold, and indifferent 
to Thee. I have despised Thee, instead of loving Thee. I have 
repaid Xhj goodness with malice and ingratitude, and prized thy 
friendship less than the good esteem of the world, and of creatures 
as miserable as myself ' Oh, I wish to love Thee henceforth with 
a pure, faithful, constant, disinterested and generous love. I desire 
to love Thee while I live on earth, that, after death, I may love 
Thee eternally in heaven. 



FEAST OF THE HOLT INNOCENTS. 69 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"He saith to his mother: "Woman, behold thy son! After 
that He saith to his disciple: Son, behold thy mother." St 
John^ xix. 

" That disciple, therefore, whom the Lord loved." SL John, 
xxi. 

" And he saw the spirit of God descending as a dove, and com- 
ing upon him." St. Matt. iii. 

" The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and 
Jonathan loved him as his own soul." 1 Kings\ xviii. 



FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS. 

ON THEIR MARTYRDOM. 

1st Point. Truly it was a glorious and happy thing for these 
little children to die for Jesus Christ! If they had lived they 
would have been crucified, as were their fathers. Mothers ! why 
do you weep and lament? Could you, for onemoment, conceive 
or know the blis,s of their immortality or the glory of their 
cro^vns, ye would no longer afflict yourselves. Behold, how easily 
the instincts of our nature blind us ; we often weep when we 
should rejoice and be glad : you are inconsolable for the loss of 
an infant, whom God has taken, in its innocence, to himself; and 
do you know, if it had lived many years in the world, i^ would 
have died in sin and been eternally lost ? You repine over your 
fallen fortunes, and regret the loss of temporal possessions, and 
do you know, if God, in his wisdom, had not deprived you of 
them, they would have been the cause of your losing your soul ? 

2d Point. What is more perilous to the soul than to submit to 
the dominion of an ungovernable passion ; to abandon one's self to 
ambition ; to encourage suspicions which wound charity ; to judge 
rashly ; to act with precipitation, or be carried away by uncon- 
trollable anger ? This horrible carnage was caused by the wicked 
presumption and ambition of Herod's heart ; by the rashness of 
his judgment ; the precipitation of his acts, and the predominance 
of his passions. I ask, what is the evil that governs you '? What 
is your predominant passion % Is it pride % Is it vanity ? Is it 
envy ? Is it anger % Be careful, then, to form no resolution when 
your mind is irritated and troubled. Your heart becomes hard- 



70 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ened when your passions are agitated. It is necessary, at such 
times, to implore the assistance of God, that his grace may sus- 
tain you until the storm rolls by ; that his hand may uphold you 
when troubled waters rise around you. It is one of the great 
triumphs of the devil, when you make no resistance, and seek no 
help from God in the time of temptation. 

3d Point. Herod is dead, but he has left many inheritors of 
his crimes. The world is full of his disciples, who wish to destroy 
Jesus Christ, Avhen he is born in our hearts. The devil persecutes 
us by his temptations, the impious by their conversation, the dis- 
sipated by their bad example ; men by their solicitations, women 
by their scandalous allurements, and shameful immodesty. Alas ! 
we all have a Herod in ourselves, who uses our passions as his 
satellites, to kill the divine babe. Unhappy and miserable one, 
if you take the part of Herod against Jesus Christ ; if you con- 
sult his designs, and accept the arms and strength he offers you 
to cause the death of the infant Jesus. Alas ! how often have you 
done it ? You are more guilty than Herod ! He desired to kill 
Him, but did not accomplish his wicked purpose ; but how many 
thousand times have you not caused Him to die in your hearts ? 
Did Herod know Him as- you knew Himl Did he receive the 
favors which you have received 1 Did he understand the penalties 
of sin? Did he hope for an eternal recompense? 

'''Saul! Saul! why persecutest thou me?'''' It is Jesus Chrisi 
who speaks to you from the heaven of his crib ! What evil has 
He done you that you should wish to take from Him the life thai, 
He has in your heart, and in that of your neighbor ; life which He 
prizes next to that given Him by his holy mother ] You perse- 
cute Jesus Christ vrhen you persecute his servants ; when you 
mock and scoff at their devotions ; when you give bad example 
to your fellow beings, and when you tempt them to commit evil. 

Console yourselves, afflicted and persecuted souls ! In your 
sufferings and patience behold the marks of your eternal safety. 
The decree is pronounced ; it is necessary to make a choice be- 
tween two eternities ! It is inevitable that we must either be 
saved or lost!- Have you preserved your innocence? If you 
have lost it, it is necessary to recover it by repentance. If you 
have not lost it rejoice, for God and men are your witnesses ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Herod sought the young child to kill Him." St. Matt, ii. 
" The Jews sought Him with ardor, because they wished to kill 
Him." St, John, v. 



TWENTY-NINTH OF DECEMBER. 71 

" Saul ! Saul ! why persecutest thou me?" Acts ix. 

" I have done for you many good works, why then do you wish 
me to die?" Si. John^ x. 

" All those who live in piety with Jesus Christ shall be per- 
secuted." 2 Timothy^ iii. 



TWENTY-NINTH OF DECEMBER. 



ON THE POVERTY OF JESUS CHRIST. 

1st Point. Jesus made himself poor, in order to enrich us. 
He trampled this world's all, of grandeur and riches, underfoot, 
to teach us to despise them. He placed himself in a mean and 
lowly place, that we might ascend to the glory of a throne in 
heaven ! Behold the King of the world, without a house to shelter 
Him, and obliged to lodge in a stable among beasts ! Can any 
one be born in greater poverty than this ? Can any one live in 
greater poverty than He did ? Can any one die m greater poverty 
than He did, who is the Lord of all? 

2d Point. Jesus is poor and you are rich ! Jesus is in a stable 
and you are in a palace ; Jesus is on straw and you repose on 
down! Jesus is naked and you are clad in rich raiment! Jesus 
wants for all things and you want for nothing. What will be 
your response, at the day of judgment, when He will reproach 
you, saying that you neither lodged, nourished, clothed or visited 
Him ? Compare your house with his stable ! your bed with his 
manger ! your down pillows with his straw ? your costly raiment 
with his rags ! your luxury, and its appendages, with his naked- 
ness ! Oh divine babe ! thy birth fills me with joy, but thy crib 
terrifies me ! I love the poor, but I do not love thy poverty ; I 
wish to assist the miserable, but I do not wish to feel their 
miseries. 

3d Point. What am I? I cannot be saved unless I resemble 
Thee ! It is necessary, then, that I should be poor like Thee, or 
retain my riches. I cannot resolve to be poor like Thee, but I can 
invite Thee to share my riches. It is to nourish Thee that I feed 
the hungry ; it is to assist Thee that I aid the needy ; it is to do 
Thee good that I relieve the necessities of the poor. I wish, from 
this moment, to nourish, clothe and assist Tliee, in the persons of 
the poor. Oh, I esteem myself happy in being able to return to 



72 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Thee that which Thou hast given me. What joy ! what consola- 
tion ! that I can nourish Thee, lodge Thee, clothe Thee, and assist 
in all thy necessities, and make Thee part of my treasures. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"The foxes have their dens, and the birds of the air their 
nests, but the Son of Man had not where to lay his head." St, 
Matt. viii. 

"He came unto his own, and his own received Him not." 
John, i. 

" I say to you, that as many times as you have shown charity 
to the least of mine, it is to me that you have done it." St. 
Matt. XXV. 

" Jesus Christ being rich. He made himself poor, in order to 
enrich us by his poverty." 2 Corinthians, viii. 



THIRTIETH OF DECEMBER. 

ON THE HUMILITY OF THE INFANT JESUS. 

1st Point. God was born as man, and united Himself to noth- 
ingness. He left the splendor of his greatness, and united him- 
self to a creature. He made himself as low as he was before 
exalted. His humiliation is only equalled by his elevation, which 
is infinite, substantial, and shall be eternal ; and, after He was 
clothed in our flesh. He bore the signs of his abasement and hu- 
miliation. And I, who am only nothingness, am unwilling to 
lower mvself before mv God! I wish to elevate mvself above all 
men ; I love only honor and praise, and I cannot bear that any 
one should blame my defects, my vices, my weaknesses. 

2d Point. Why, O my God, didst Thou become man ? Why 
didst Thou subject thyself to impressions from external agents ? 
Why give thy creatures power over Theel Why didst Thou 
clothe thyself in our flesh? Why didst Thou become a little 
child? Why wast Thou born of a woman, and why choose a 
stable for the place of thy birth? Ah! it was to subdue my 
pride ; it was to teach me humility ; it was in order to gain my 
heart by thy likeness to myself 

3d Point. Alas, I am a sinful and unworthy disciple ! I have a 
God for my master, whose lessons, in the science of holiness, aro 



THIRTIETH OF DECEMBER. 73 

filled with wisdom, and who teaches me, by his example, and yet 
I learn nothing. I see my nothingness, and I am still proud ; I 
see my poverty, and still covet riches ; I see my condition, which 
humiliates me below all men, and I still wish to elevate myself 
above all the w^orld. Oh divine infant ! Thou art great in the 
heavens, but Thou art of no repute on earth ! Thou art honored 
by angels, but Thou art despised by men ! Truly, it is a 
wonderful spectacle, to see a Gcd thus humiliated ; but it is 
•a stranger and more wonderful sight, to see pride stand by 
and gaze on the divine infant, in the manger, at Bethlehem. 
What remedy is there for my pride, if the humility of my God 
does not cure it ? It is an insupportable thing to see a worni of 
the dust swelled with pride, since the eternal God has humbled 
his majesty and abased his power for the sins of men ! . 

Depart from me all pride and haughtiness ! my God has 
humbled himself for me ; I wish to become, like Him, little and 
humble*, that I may become great and glorious, with Him, here- 
after. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Those who humiliate themselves as this little child, shall be 
great in the kingdom of heaven." St. Matt, xviii. 

"Behold my God, my Saviour, I wdll deal confidently with 
}iim, and will not fear." Isaias^ xii. 

" He has humiliated himself in taking the form of a servant." 
Philip, ii. 

" Humiliate yourselves under the powerful hand of God, that 
He may raise you in the time of his visit." 1 Feter^ v. 



THIRTIETH OF DECEMBER. 



ON DEATH. 



1st Point. Years glide swiftly by, time passes rapidly, death 
approaches, eternity is at hand. They warn us of the necessity 
of a preparation for death. We are on the threshold of a new 
year, and ere it shall have closed, we may be in eternity ! many 
^\\\o had promised themselves to live until the expiration of the 
present year, are no more — they are dead. Are you sure that 
the same thing may not occur to you '? Hold yourself, then, in 
4 



74 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

readiness, and regard the year into which you are about to enter 
as the last of your life. 

2d Point. Christian soul ! what is it that you fear ? Why is it 
that death appals 3^ou 1 Is it the pain of dying which alarms you ? 
Ah, w^hy is it that you cannot suffer like a little child, and submit 
with courage to that which a fly, a sparrow, or an ant, has en- 
dured '? All creatures die ; a child of one day old tastes as much 
of death as an old man of an hundred years ; why, then, can you 
not learn how to meet it with courage? Surely you love the- 
world, the joys of earth, and your body, too well, since you ex- 
perience such bitter pangs at the idea of leaving them ! Have 
you buried those opportunities, which life afforded you, to win an 
eternal and heavenly rest, that you are so unwilling to cast it off] 
Is it not God w^ho has given it to you ? Has He not a right to 
dispose of it in the manner which is most pleasing to himself? 
He has given you the use of it, but retained the right to dispose 
of it for himself; it is a deposit which must, sooner or later, be 
returned, with interest, on all He has given with it. Are you 
ready to return it to the giver 1 

3d Point. What will so much speculation, so many doubts 
and fears, avail you ? Death is the period which will inevitably 
solve them all. It is a great folly to waste time in learning those 
things which should be avoided ; one fears that which, is doubtful, 
but prepares and waits for that which is certain. You defeat the 
design of your creation, if you are not resigned to death ; you 
are not prepared for eternity if you do not welcome this mes- 
senger of God. Are you mortal ? Are you a sinner ? Are you a 
child of Adam. Through him death is entailed on all the children 
of men ; all creatures were placed under the same condemnation. 
You carried, in the womb and at your birth, the decree of death 
written in your flesh. If the great, the wise, and the holy die, 
can you alone claim a dispensation from death? Death is not a 
curse, it is a blessing ; Jesus died, and you sigh for the privilege 
of escaping ! If you were exempt from the inexorable law of 
death, you would tenderly complain to our Lord, and ask Him to 
pardon you for not being able to die for and like Him ! Do you 
love Him, you who would fly from Him and do not wish to make 
reparation for his life by the loss of yours ? 

4th Point. Verily the judgments of God are terrible, but his 
mercies are iniinite. It is good to fear, but it is better to hope. 
He who hopes in God shall never be confounded ; he who aban 
dons himself to the mercy of God shall never be abandoned by 
bis mercy. Will your condition be improved by length of days 



FIRST OF JANUARY. 75 

You will increase your debts, instead of diminishing them. If y6u 
desire to live, that you may do penance, begin to-day ! You can 
do nothing better than to accept death, with resignation, for your 
sins. You can exhibit no greater evidence of your love for God, 
than a perfect willingness to die for Him ! 

Oh God my Saviour, my Lord ! it fills me with joy to think I 
can lay down my life for Thee ; that I can willingly sacrifice it to 
Thee, who didst so willingly sacrifice thine for me. I cannot be a 
martyr of faith, but I can be one of charity ; I offer to Thee, then, 
my God, that which death shall take from me of living strength ; 
I offer to Thee, through charity, that which I cannot refuse to 
necessity ; 1 will commence this year, like one who is certain he 
shall not live until its close. Oh, Thou hast heaped thy graces on 
me, and I, unfaithful one, have gone on in my sins ! Thou hast 
delivered me from perils and dangers; Thou hast guarded me 
night and day ; Thou hast preserved my soul from hell ! What 
return shall I make Thee, oh my God, for all thy benefits, unless 
I resign humbly, into the hands of thy mercy, the life Thou hast 
given me? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

." Death is preferable to*a bitter life, and an eternal repose to a 
continual languor." Eccles. xxx. 

'* Oh death 1 thy judgment is sweet and agreeable to those who 
have fallen into poverty, who have no more strength, and who are 
loaded with years." Eccles. xli. 

" Fear not the judgments of death. Remember that which has 
been before thee, and that which is to come. God has -condemned 
all men." Eccles. iv. 

" We know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dis- 
solved, we have a home, not made with hands, eternal in the 
neavens." 2 Corinthians^ v. 

•• Unhappy am I when they shall deliver this body to death." 
Romans^ vii. 

•♦« 

FIRST OF JANUARY. 

ON THE HOLY T^AME OF JESUS, WHICH WAS GIVEN TO OUR LORD 
ON THE DAY OF HIS CIRCUMCISION. 

1st Point. Jesus is a name of greatness, a name of sweetness, 
a name of valor ! It is a name of greatness, because it signifies 



76 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

the God of men ! It is a name of sweetness, because it signifies 
the Father of men ! It is a name of valor, because it signifies the 
Saviour of men ! His greatness is adored in heaven ; his svy^eet- 
ness is loved on earth ; his valor is feared in hell. " 6rO(i," says 
St. Paul, " has given Him a name above all names^ that^ at the 
name of Jesus ^ every knee shall bow. of those in heaven^ on earth, 
and in heliy Prostrate yourself, and adore God your Saviour ! 

2d Point. When I pronounce the name of Jesus, I represent to 
myself the- greatest of all kiiigs, the most loving of all fathers, 
the most valiant of all warriors, the most humble of all men, the 
most faithful of all friends, the sweetest of all masters, the most 
obliging of all hearts, the m.ost amiable of all spouses. If He is 
your king, Christian soul, why is it that you do not fear Him 1 
If He is your Father, why is it that you do not honor Him ? If 
He is your captain, why is it that you do not follow Him ? If 
He is your friend, why is it that you do not confide in Him ? 
If He is the most humble of all men, why is it that you are so 
proud ? If He is the sweetest of all masters, why is it that you 
are so passionate] If He is so obliging, why are you not more 
grateful ? If He is the peace of vour soul, why do vou not love 
Him? 

3d Point. When I pronounce the name of Jesus, my sadness 
is dissipated, my courage is renewed, my heart becomes joyful, 
my spirit shakes off* its sloth, my passions are .calmed, my desires 
are appeased, my soul is filled with delight, my enemies retreat 
discomfited and afraid. If Jesus is my Saviour, can He not save 
me 1 Does He not wish to save me ? Is it not his sole employ- 
ment and ofi^ce, to save me 1 He has charged Himself with the 
care of my salvation. He has received and accepted the* commis- 
sion ; He has made it his business, his honor, his pleasure ; He 
has spared nothing to accomplish it, not even his own life ! What 
is there for me to fear, while I have such a Saviour 1 What ought 
I not to hope, since I have such a Saviour % 

Oh, Jesus, father of the poor and consolation of the afflicted, 
my soul is without language before Thee and my heart can say' 
nothing, except that Thou art my only good. Be Thou with me, 
my Jesus, during life ; be with me, my Jesus, in the hour of 
death. If I have committed any evil which will damn me. Thou 
hast omitted no good which can save me. Oh, Jesus, place thy- 
self as a seal on'my spirit, as a seal on my heart, as a seal on my 
mouth, as a seal on my arms ; on my spirit, that I may think 
only of Thee ; on my heart, that I may love only Thee ; on my 
mouth, that I may speak only of Thee ; on my arms, that I may 



SECOND OF JANUARY. 77 

work only for Thee. Oh, holy name of Jesus !' I adore Thee as a 
name of grandeur ! I love Thee as a name of sweetness ! I mvoke 
Thee as a name of wonderful strength and courage. Oh, sweet 
Jesus, m order to be sav.ed I would give my blood, since Thou 
hast shed thine to save me ; I wish to suffer wounds and sorrows, 
that I may be saved with Thee, live with Thee, and praise Thee 
forevermore. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

*' Thou art in us, oh Lord, and thy holy name is invoked by 
us ; do not abandon us, Thou who art our Lord and our God." 
Jeremias^ xiv. 

" Whoever invokes the Lord shall be saved." Joel^ ii. 

" No other name under the heavens has b^en given to men by 
which they can be saved." Acts^ iv. 

" Let every knee bend at the name of Jesus." Fhilij), ii. 



SECOND OF JANUARY. 

ON THE ABASEMENT- OF THE SON OF GOD, IN HIS INCARNATION 

AND CIRCUMCISION. 

1st Point. The Word was God, and made itself flesh. Incon- 
ceivably happy, it assumed a state of misery. Infinitely holy, it 
assumed the form of a sinner. He made himself man, to com- 
municate to us his divinity. He took on himself a life of misery, 
to communicate to us his felicity. He appeared as a sinner, to 
communicate to us his holiness. 

2d Point. Oh, Jesus ! hidden under the form of a man ! Oh, 
Jesus ! hidden under the form of a sinner ! Oh, Jesus ! hidden 
under the form of misery ! Oh, greatest and smallest ! Oh, first 
and last ! Oh, the most exalted and the most abased. 

3d Point. My soul, are you still inflated with emotions of pride, 
when you consider the abasement of your God ? Can you wish to 
be esteemed holy by the world, when you behold Him, under the 
form of a sinner ? Can you still desire to revel in pleasures, and 
luxuries, when you see your God persecuted and suffering ? Oh, 
nothingness, will you never abase yourself? Will you never find 
your true place, and remain humbly in it? Where ought you to 
be ] What good have you done ? What evil have you not done '? 



78 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



Whence come you ? Whither do you hasten'? Your blindness is 
without remedy, if it cannot be cured by the humility of your 
God. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTtjRE. 

" The Word was made flesh." St. John, i. 

" He has debased himself, and taken upon himself the form of 
a servant." PhiUj). ii. 

" God has sent his Son, clad in flesh, resembling that of sjn^ 
ners." Romans^ viii. 



-•♦^ 



THIRD OF JANUARY. 

LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST COMPARED WITH OURS. 

1st Point. Jesus was poor on earth, and I pine for riches and 
splendor. Jesus was humble, and I am proud. Jesus was amia- 
ble, and I am the slave of angry passions. Jesus was patient, and 
I cannot endure sufliring. 

2d Point. Jesus pardoned and prayed for his enemies, and I 
desire to be revenged on mine. Jesus t)beyed his inferiors, and I 
do not submit to my superiors. Jesus was hated by the world, 
and I seek the esteem of the world. Jesus was despised, and I 
desire to be honored. Jesus kept himself hidden, and 1 wish to be 
seen and applauded. 

3d Point. Jesus ascended into heaven, through the sufferings 
of his life and passion ; I wish to gain heaven by a life of enjoy- 
ment and ease. Jesus died on a cross, to merit a glory which 
belonged to Him, and I do not wish to suffer any thing on earthy 
to merit a glory which does not belong to me. Is it just, that a 
slave should be better treated than his master ; that the guilty 
should receive more mercy than the innocent ? 

Oh, my Saviour ! my life is opposed to thine. I am ravished 
with delight when I consider thy virtues ! but I tremble with fear 
when I think of my vices. How can I be saved, if I do not re- 
semble Thee? What contradictions hast Thou not suffered from 
sinners ? Alas ! none can be greater than those Thou hast borne 
from me during the whole course of my life. Can I believe I shall 
be of the number of those who are saved, being: so unlike the 
Head, the being, the model of the predestined. 



'& 



FOURTH OF JANUARY. 79 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"The discip]e s not above his master, nor the servant above 
his Lord." St. Matt. x. 

" But of him are you in Jesus Christ, T^ho is made to us from 
God, wisdom, justice, sanctification, and redemption." 1 Corin- 
thians., i. 

" I am the wav, the truth, and the life." St. John., xiv. 
• " Is thy heart right, as my heart is. with thy heart." Kings, iv. 



FOURTH OF JANUARY. 



c^ 



ON THE GOOD USE OF TIME. 



1st Point. Time is short, every moment is precious, and should 
be devoted to the interests of eternity. It is short, because it is 
yours only during your life ; its loss is irreparable, because it will 
never return. 

And, notwithstanding all this, I employ it unprofitably. The 
use I have made of it is shameful and miserable. How did I 
spend the preceding year'? What have I been doing all the years 
of my life ? Alas ! I have been engaged in doing those things 
which I ought not to have done, and in leaving undone those 
things which I should have done. Oh, what account shall I render 
for all the misspent time of my life ? 

2d Point. What will it avail you to have lived in pleasures, if 
you die in misery ? What unavailing sorrow will consume you, 
for your abuse of time, if you are miserable in eternity? Time 
is given to you that you may work out your salvation. It rests 
with you, more or less, to be lost or saved. Ponder well the 

affairs of vour soul. 

«/ 

3d Point. Time is fleeting ; death draws near ; eternity ad- 
vances ; judgment is at hand. Behold how life passes ! Behold 
your health failing, your strength wasting. Poor, miserable 
creature ! if the messenger comes this night, to demand your 
soul, what will all those possessions which you have amassed 
avail you? To whom will you give them? Jf the sinful man is 
not charitable to himself ., how can he he merciful to others ? You 
will desire, after death, a single moment of the time which you 
havo devoted to your pleasures ; you will regret, bitterly, having 



80 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

squandered so unprofitably the time you should have devoted to 
the safety of your soul, but your desires will be in vain, your re- 
grets unavailing. Make a good use of time, lest, in the midst of 
your sins, a mighty angel appear, and S2vear by Him^ who liveth 
forever^ that time shall he 7io longer for you! Employ every 
precious moment in v/orking out your salvation, which, above all 
things, is necessary for you ; repair the time you have lost, by 
true and salutary repentance; arrange all your plans for the 
future, with reference to eternity ; think of your soul's safety ; 
meditate on eternity. The devil assails you on every side, exert- 
ing all his guile and strength for a victory over you, " knowing^'' 
says St. John, '•'^ that • during time he is strong. "^^ Work, then, 
Christian soul, work with all your might, to perform those things 
which are necessary for your salvation ; work while it is yet day, 
for the night cometh when no man shall work. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The wicked were taken away before their time, and a flood 
hath overthrown their foundations." Job^ xxii. 

" Be not overmuch wicked, and be not foolish, lest thou die be- 
fore thy time." Eccles. vii. 

" The time of this life is short." 1 Cor, vii. 

"Be ye wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil." 
JSphesians^ v. 

" Therefore, while we have time let us do good." Galatians, vi. 

" And he swore by Him that liveth forever and ever, who 
created heaven and the things which are therein, and the earth 
and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things which are 
therein, that time shall be no longer." Apocalypse^ x. 



THE EVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 



ON THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI. 



1st Point. The Magi beheld a new and extraordinary star 
appear in the heavens, and while they gazed with wonder on it, 
they knew, by divine inspiration, that it was the herald of the 
birth of the King of the Jews, and the Saviour of the world ; 
and, without loss of time, they commenced a long and difficult 



THE EVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 81 

journey, to find and adore Him ! What faith ! What obedience ! 
What courage ! 

For how long a time has not God called you by secret inspira.- 
tions, by interior touches of grace, by the words of preachers, by 
the counsel of confessors, by good books, and by the example of 
holy men ? Oh, how often has not God called you from dark 
ness to light, from sin to a state of grace, from spiritual sloth to 
a more perfect life? Notwithstanding this, you close your eyes 
to the light of his inspirations, and delay your conversion from^ 
day to day. Is it thus that you obey God ? What would have 
become of the Magi, if they had procrastinated, as you are doing? 
Oh, Jerusalem, thou shalt be abandoned, because thou hast not 
known the time of thy visitation ; hasten to profit by the light, 
which dawns so brightly on you, lest it should be withdrawn and 
never return ; you will never behold Jesus Christ unless you obey 
his inspirations. 

2d Point. The Magi knew that the obstacles, which opposed 
their undertaking so long a journey, were grave and difficult. 
It was necessary to leave their country, their wives and children, 
their pleasures, their occupations, their possessions, their affairs ; 
they had much to apprehend, from unfriendly kings, on their 
way, and, above all, from king Herod, who was a haughty, 
ambitious, cruel and perfidious prince, and who could have had 
them arrested, as seditious men and disturbers of the peace; but, 
in their desire to adore Jesus Christ, they triumphed over all. 
these considerations, and gave themselves up entirely to the guid- 
ance of God, who called them. 

Why do you not follow their glorious example ? Why do you 
defer your conversion from day to day ? Alas ! you are averse 
to leaving your pleasures, you have not courage sufficient to de 
tach yourself from the love of creatures, you dread pain and diff 
culty, you care only for rest and tranquillity. And are you so 
deceived as to believe you are in a state of grace, when you are 
at war with God ? If it is necessary to leave father and mother, 
wife and child, and all that you possess, to follow our Lord, how 
can you be his disciple if you refuse to separate yourself from 
dangerous gratifications, and the occasions of sin ? 

3d Point. When the Magi drew near to Jerusalem the re- 
splendant star, which had guided their steps, suddenly disap- 
peared. Did these men, who had been so obedient and faithful 
to the inspirations of God, feel dismayed, and believing that they 
had been under a delusion, resolve to return to their own country ? 

No ; instead of yielding to the human doubts, w^hich might have 
4*. 



82 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

assailed them, thej entered into Jerusalem, and demanded boldly 
of its inhabitants: " Where is He who is born King of the 
Tews T' 

The light of heaven often disappears froiji our souls' vision, 
because we enter into the great world, where all are at enmity 
with Plim, or because God wishes to prove our faith, our courage, 
our fidelity. Then it becomes necessary to appeal to the doctors 
of the law, who tell you, without doubt, and on the highest au- 
thority, that Jesus is born in Bethlehem ! Return thanks to God, 
for having enlightened you with a light so clear and beautiful, and 
who has given you, in your darkness, guides so learned and fliithful, 
to conduct you to Him. 

4th Point. After the Magi had come out of Jerusalem, where 
all were troubled by the news, which had gone abroad, the star 
reappeared, and rested over the humble stable in Bethlehem, 
w^here, to their great joy, they found the divine infant, with Mary, 
his mother ; and, after adoring Him, they presented the costly 
gifts they had brought with them. Admire their faith, their hope, 
their charity, their humility, and their devotion. 

Oh, my soul, let us hasten this day to Bethlehem, that we may 
adore our Saviour ! He, with his holy mother, invites us. Pre- 
pare your presents, for you must not appear with empty hands 
before God. Have you incense ? Have you gold ? Have you 
myrrh? He desires prayer, charity, and mortification. Offer 
Him gold by your alms, incense by your prayers, and myrrh by 
your patience. Offer Him your soul, and all that you have and 
are, and He will reign the king of your heart forever. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" We have seen his star in the east, and have come to adore 
Him." St, Matt, ii. 

"And king Herod hearing this was much troubled, and all 
Jerusalem with him." Ibid, 

" Come, let us adore and fall down, and weep before the Lord 
that hath made us. For He is the Lord our God, and we are the 
people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hands." Psalm xciv. 

" They have been rebellious to the light." Job^ xxiv. 

" Because 1 have called you, and you refused me ; I stretched 
forth my hand, and there was none that regarded. You have de- 
spised all my counsels, and have neglected my reprehensions. I 
also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock you, when 
that shall come to you which you have feared." Proverbs^ i. 



EPIPHANY. 83 

EPIPHANY: 

lltbitatian. 

ON THE KINGDOM OF JESUS CHRIST AND THAT OF SATAN. 

1st Point. You cannot be without a master in this life; and 
it is impossible to have two. It is necessary, then, to serve Jesus 
or Satan. To which of these do you wish to belong ? You are 
the servant of him whose will you do. Jesus is the best of all 
sovereimis : Satan the most cruel of all tvrants. Jesus loves us 
with a love which is infinite ; Satan hates us with a malice which 
is infinite. Jesus reigns in peace ; Satan reigns in confusion and 
torment. The reign of Jesus renders us most happy, in time 
and in eternity ; that of Satan renders us miserable during life, 
and after death. 

2d Point. Jesus will not " reign over us, unless we keep his 
commandments. He reigns over our spirits by faith, our hearts 
by charity, our souls by peace, our bodies by suffering. He 
governs us by his wisdom, sustains us by his strength, sanctifies 
us bv his love. He reigns in us bv his wisdom, when we re- 
nounce our o\\ti judgment ; He reigns by his power, when we 
renounce our own strength ; He reigns by his inspirations, when 
we renounce our own will. 

3d Point. Do all that God wills you to do ; suffer all that He 
sends you ; preserve his grace as your greatest treasure ; keep in 
peace ; obey his inspirations, yield nothing to the evil suggestions 
of your passions ; be willing to do every thing, be willing to do 
nothing, desire that all things may work together for good, and 
bear the fruits of righteousness. Be always contented, always 
submissive, always resigned ; live and die on the cross. 

Behold the kingdom of God, behold that which constitutes tha- 
dominion of his empire. Oh Jesus ! my king ; I am thy servant, 
and the son of thy servant. Canst Thou still wish to enter into 
a heart from whence Thou hast been so oflen driven? Thou 
canst not live in me, because I am not in thy grace; Thou 
canst not reign in me, because I am not at peace with all men. 
But, dear Lord, pity me, and enter my heart, and take possession 
of thy kingdom ; remain in it always ; defend thyself in me, 
against myself, and against the enemy of thy crown. Satan de- 
clares himself my master ; the world says, I am its slave ; pride 
claims me for its own ; the flesh says, I am his ; and I, I cry out 



84 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



against them all, and declare to all the world, and with all my 
strength, that I belong to Jesus Christ ; that I am purcha*sed at 
the price of the blood of. Jesus ; that I wish to live and die for 
Jesus ; that nothing shall separate me from the love, the service, 
and the fidelity I owe Jesus. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And he said to the Jews, behold your king." SL Johji, xix. 

" And Jesus said to them, You are from beneath, I am from 
above ; you are of this world, I am not of this world." >S'^. John^ viii. 

" And He hath on his garments and on his thigh written, King 
of kings, and Lord of lords." Apoc. xix. 

" Let not therefore sin reign in your mortal body, so as to obey 
the lusts thereof" Romans^ vi. 

" Rule Thou over us, and thy Son." Judg£s^ viii. 



SEVENTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

1st Point. God reigns in the heart of man, and man reigns in 
the heart of God. God reigns in the heart of man, when man 
does his will in all things. By doing the will of God at all times, 
and in all things, man reigns in God, and God in man. God does 
the will of those who do his ; He condescends to those who obey 
Him ; He reigns by his providence, and man by obedience. To 
serve God faithfully, is to reign ; to obey Him is commanded. 

2d Point. Are you a servant of God?. Do you keep his 
commandments 1 Do you obey his will 1 Do you abandon 
yourself to be governed by his providence 1 AVhy is it then that 
you depend only on your intellect? on your address? on your 
possessions ? on your friends ? on your influence ? on your credit ] 
Why is it that you are continually agitated by desires, and fears, 
and trouble, and inquietude ? If you desire only the will of God, 
why are you afflicted when it is done ? Why do you murmur at 
his providence, tmd resist his inspirations? God does not do 
what you pray Him to do, because you are not conformed to his 
will. He destroys your designs because they are opposed tc 
his ; he resists you because you resist Him ; He afflicts you be- 
cause you grieve Him. 



EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 85 

3i) Point. Oh, my God, it is right that I should depend on Thee, 
but is' it just thou shouldst wait on me? It is just that I should 
do thy will, but why shouldst Thou regard mine ? And yet, Thou 
hast promised that Thou wilt do the will of those who love Thee, 
fear Thee, and do thy holy will! Oh, Thou.shalt be my only 
treasure, since my heart, oh my God, is thine ! Oh, good and 
clement Master, who condescends to do the will of his servants ! 
(Jh, wicked and ungrateful servants, who object to do the will of 
so good a master ! 

WORDS OF SCniPTURE. 

" I am in the midst of you, as he that serveth." >S'^. Lulce^ xxii. 
" For lo ! the kingdom of God is within you." St. Luke^ xvii. 
" Thy kingdom come, thy w^ill be done, on earth as it is in 
heaven." SL Matt. vi. 

" He shall serve those who fear Him." Psalms.^ cxliv. 



EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 

ON FAITH, OF WHICH THE STAR SEEN BY THE MAGI, WAS THE 

SYMBOL. 

1st Point. Reason is the light of men; faith is the light of 
Christians, Reason is- necessary to men ; faith is necessary to 
Christians. Alas ! I am like a creature without a soul, since I 
obey only the dictates of reason. I am a heathen, possessed 
only of the name of a Christian. 

God wishes to be honored by the mind as well as by the heart 
of man. The heart of man honors God by submitting to his law ; 
the mind of man honors God by submitting to faith. His heart 
submits to it when he does those things to w^hich its instincts are 
opposed ; his mind submits when it does that w^hich it cannot un- 
derstand. Why is it, then, that in order to believe I wish to see, 
feel, and touch ; like that incredulous disciple, who w^ould not be- 
lieve the divine word, until he had seen with his eyes and touched 
with his hands, and whose belief was at least doubtful and im- 
perfect ? 

2d Point. Faith consecrates the spirit of man, and leads him 
to submit joyfully to religion. It sacrifices itself to the glory of 
God ; it unites itself to his wisdom ; it causes the pure light of 
truth to shine with redoubled lustre, and renders its dogmas as 



86 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

certain and infallible as the spirit of God, since God, dwelling in 
it, guides and governs it. 

It is necessary, then, to live by faith, in order to be righteous ; 
it is necessary to judge things by the light of faith, and not by 
the senses ; it is necessary to love those things which the maxims 
of faith teach us, and not to follow, blindly, the maxims of the 
world ; it is necessary to act by the direction of faith, and not 
according to the dictates of human prudence. 

3d Point. What does faith say of the grandeur of the world ? 
That it is an abomination in the eyes of God. What does it say 
of riches ? That it is impossible for him who loves them inordi- 
nately to be saved, and that it is difficult to possess them without 
loving them. What does it say of pleasure ? That those who 
have their consolation and enjoyment in this world, shall know 
only misery and anguish in the world to come ; that in order tq 
be a Christian,' it is necessary to crucify the flesh; that he who 
lives according to the flesh cannot please God, and shall sufler 
torments in hell, proportioned to his sensual indulgence on 
earth. 

Do you believe these truths? If you do not believe them you 
are not a Christian; if you believe them, why is it that you live 
as if you do not believe them 1 You say you believe that, in 
order to be saved, you must become like a little child, and still 
you aspire after the greatness of the world ; you believe that 
riches are an abomination to God, and yet you sigh for their pos- 
session ; you believe that the humble poor are happy, and yet 
you fear poverty ; you believe that there is nothing more salu- 
tary for the soul than suflering, and yet you murmur when God 
aftiicts you, and seek only pleasure, only diversion, only the good 
things that gratify the senses. Why should you be accused and 
judged on the last day 1 He who believes not is already judged, 
says St. John, and he who believes, and acts contrary to his be- 
lief, is already condemned. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Behold he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in 
himself: but the just shall live in his faith." Jlabacuc, ii. 

" Ye that fear the Lord, believe him, and your reward shall 
not be made void." Secies, ii. 

"For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give 
strength to those who, with a perfect heart, trust in Him." 2 
Faralipomenon^ xvi. 

" For we walk by faith, and not by sight." 2 Corinthians^ v. 



NINTH OF JANUARY. 8/ 

"But they who are iii the flesh cannot please God." Ro- 
mans^ viii. 

" For that w'hich is high to man, is an abomination to God." 
SL Luke^ x\i. 

" But woe to you that are rich, for you have your consolation." 
St. LuJce^ vi, 

"And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to pass 
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of heaven." St. Matt. xix. 



NINTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE EXCELLENCE OF FAITH. 

1st Point. Faith is a divine light which discovers to us the 
truths which ^vill lead us to holiness, which preserves us in unity, 
which maintains us in humility, which sustains us in hope, which 
animates our charity, which disposes us to receive all grace, and 
causes us to merit eternal life. 

Without faith the mind of man is profane, and devoid of re- 
ligion ; it wanders astray in its gratitude, and is bewildered by 
its own reasons ; it lifts itself up above the light and inspirations 
of supernatural things, and refuses to do any thing to merit 
heaven ; it works not for eternity ; it does not submit to its first 
cause ; it refuses obedience to its sovereign ; it will never enjoy 
his presence, or see clearly that which it is not willing to believe 
humbly and blindly. 

2d Point. Have you faith ? Do you live according to its rules 
and maxims'? Is your faith humble? Is it firm and general? 
Ah, why is it, then, that you have so many doubts and so much 
curiosity ? why is it that you do not believe that God is ever 
present with you, although you can neither see or touch Him ? 
w^hy is it that you doubt his love, when He sends you affliction ] 
why is it that you make a distinction in your belief? why is it 
that, in temptation, you tremble and lose courage, as if there was 
not a God to assist you ? 

3d Point. To obey the law of God it is necessary to renounce 
your own will ; to obey the faith, which Christ has established, it 
is necessary to renounce all human reasoning. A man is not sub- 
ject to God who desires to do only that which is agreeable to 



88 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

himself; he is not the disciple of Jesus, who wishes to believe 
only that which is apparent to his own reason. To be a true ser- 
vant of God, it is necessary to raise yourself above your natural 
inclinations, and to be his disciple, you must raise yourself above 
the pride of your own intellect. 

Oh, my God ! I believe in those mysteries of faith which I do 
not understand, and I love those things which are displeasing to 
my inclinations. I adore Thee by the submission of my thoughts, 
as I love Thee by the submission of my desires. I believe all 
those truths which Thou hast revealed, as I sincerely wish to do 
air that Thou hast commanded. I believe all, without doubt; I 
believe all, without reserve ; I believe all, without curiosity ; I 
desire no other reason or security for my implicit faith than the 
word of an Almighty God ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. ' 

"And I will espouse thee to me in faith, and thou shait know 
that I am the Lord." O^ee^ ii. 

" Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto jus- 
tice." Romans^ iv* 

" Shall not my soul be subject to God f Psalm Ixi. 



TENTH OF JANUARY. 

ON DIVINE INSPIRATION. 

1st Point. Inspiration is a divine ray, which enlightens our 
minds and leads us to Jesus ; it is the voice of God, which speaks 
to us, which counsels us, which exhorts us to penance, which 
threatens us ; it is a breath of his spirit, a beam of his wisdom, 
and an expression of his love ; it is a seed of heaven, which pro- 
>duces fruits unto eternal life ; it is a bud of eternity, it is a cause 
of salvation, it is the price of the blood of Jesus Christ, it is a 
grace for which He suffered death. 

2d Point. When you stifle an inspiration you silence the voice 
of God, you outrage his spirit, you imitate Herod, who killed John 
the Baptist, who was the voice of God ; you imitate Saul, who put 
to death the priests who were the organs of the Divinity ; you 
imitate the Jews, who crucified our dear Lord. 

You who resist the inspirations of grace, resist the Ploly Ghost, 



' ELEVENTH OF JANUARY. 89 

You sin with knowledge, obstinacy, and malice ; you bury the 
talent which God bestows on you ; you abuse his gifts ; you tram- 
ple, as St. Paul says, his divine Son under your feet ; you pro- 
fane his blood ; you outrage and irritate his spirit ; you hold 
truth in captivity ; you break asunder the series of graces which 
he had prepared for you ; you place your salvation in imminent 
danger and peril ! 

3d Point. Are you not a disciple of Herod ? IIow many times 
have you stifled the voice of God? How often have you put to 
death his Son, and his precursor ? Hov/ often have you trampled 
his sacred blood under your sacrilegious feet? You have done all 
this, miserable soul, as often as you have suppressed the inspira- 
tions that enlightened your way, and which would have conducted 
you into the path of duty, and led you to the performance of good 
works, which w^ould have strengthened you against evil, and filled 
your heart with celestial peace. Oh, my God ! I fear that Thou 
w^ilt take from me the talents w^hich I have slighted, and that the 
blood of thy Son will demand vengeance for my impurity and 
ingratitude. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Extinguish lyt the spirit." Thessalonians^ v. 

"To-day, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 
Psalm xciv. 

" Take not thy holy spirit from me." Psalm 1. 

" God hath spoken." Psalm Ixi. 

" I w^ill hear w^hat the Lord God will speak in me." Psalm 
Ixxxiv. 

" Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." 1 Kings^ iii. 



ELEVENTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE DANGER OF NOT RESISTING TEMPTATION. 

1st Point. If the Magi had not followed the star, they would 
have died in their infidelity. If you do not obey those inspirations 
which enlighten your spirit and touch your heart, you will, per- 
haps, die in your sins. God keeps silence, after having spoken. 
He conceals himself, after having sought in vain; He retires, 
after having called and received no response ; He abandons that 
soul into whose heart He has been refused admittance ; He de- 



00 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

spises after being despised ; He punishes, after ha\'ing endured 
for a length of time. 

Oh, how often has he not called you, spoken to you, knocked 
at the door of your heart, waited for you, sought you, followed 
you, conjured you to abandon this sin, to correct this vice, to give 
yourself to Him, and to cease abusing his grace, by your con- 
tempt and neglect ! How often have you not held truth captive 
in your mind, and refused to let it descend into your heart, and 
pass into your hands to strengthen them in the labor of your 
salvation ! 

2d Point. The justice of God will shine about you, or with- 
draw from you the talent which you have buried ; it will come to 
transport you to an eternal kingdom of peace and love, or banish 
you forever from it. Oh, ungrateful heart ! Oh, hardened heart ! 
Oh, unfaithful heart ! Oh, obstinate heart ! It is done ! God will 
speak to you no more, and his word shall never teach you again ; 
the Holy Spirit will no longer breathe into your soul the loving 
and merciful whispers of grace ; hope will no longer cheer you ; 
the love of God no longer will abide in you ; his fear will no longer 
restrain you. Your conscience will still torment you, but there 
will be no remedy to assuage your anguish. Men of God will 
no longer 'instruct or chide you. You have ablsed the grace of 
God, and He will take from you, that which you have, to return 
it no more forever ! 

Oh, my God ! I know that I am not yet abandoned since I still 
hear thy voice which admonishes, and threatens me ! And, not- 
withstanding this, I am a prodigal who has wasted all the goods 
which Thou hast given me ; a Saul, who has put to death th ^ 
priests who announced thy word to me; I am a Herod who has 
stifled thy voice, and despised all the precursors that Thou hast 
sent me ! 

3d Point. I do not wish Thee to wait any longer for me, oh 
my God ! Thou hast borne with me many years, and now I will 
no longer resist thy grace, nor show myself rebellious to thy in- 
spirations. I have long held thy truth captive ; 1 will at once give 
it freedom. Thou hast long waited, and knocked at the door of 
my heart ; I wish to open it to Thee this moment, that Thou may- 
est enter and reign there forever. 

Thou command est me to forsake this sin into which I fall so 
often. I will forsake it. Thou commandest me to change my 
life and renounce all the pleasures and diversions of the world. I 
renounce them with all my heart. Thou commandest me to be 
reconciled with my enemy, to see him, speak to him, pardon him. 



TWELFTH OF JANUARY. 91 

I will be reconciled, I will forgive him all the injuries he has done 
me. Thou commandest me to frequent the sacraments : I will 
obey Thee. Thou commandest me to love Thee only : I will 
love Thee my God, and only Thee, in time and in eternity. 
Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And thou that despisest, shalt not thou also be despised ?" 
Isaias, xxxiii. 

" Because I called, and you refused ; I stretched out my hand, 
and there was none that regarded. You have despised all my 
counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions. I will also laugh 
in your destruction ; and mock when that shall come to you, which 
you feared." Proverbs^ i. 

" Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ?" Acls, ix. 

" I go my way, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in 
your sm." John, viii. 



TWELFTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE WAYS OF GOD. 

1st Point. The ways of God w^ere not only admirable towards 
the Magi, but they are so towards all men. What could be more 
beautiful'? what more just? what more perfect? what more 
certain ? It is a way of grace, unknown to nature ; a way of 
wisdom, incomprehensible to human reason ; a way of peace 
that ensures tranquillity to the mind ; a way of love that charms 
and deliofhts the ^ul ! 

God works for us, when He seems ao^ainst us. He is drawinor 
near unto us, when He seems to be afar off. He advances our 
affairs, when his providence seems to have abandoned them to 
ruin. He enriches, when He seems to impoverish us ; He saves 
us at the moment He seems to have forsaken us ; He gives us 
life, when He seems to give us death. He leads us to peace by 
warfare ; to perfection by the way of imperfection ; to glory, 
through ignominy ; to the promised land, through frightful des- 
erts ; to heaven by the road which seems farthest from it, and 
which appears to lead to hell ! 

2d Point. Teach me, oh my God ! the way of my salvation, for 
I know it not. Is it by peace that I ought to seek it, or by war- 



93 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

fare 1 is it by prosperity, or adversity ? is it by glory, or igno- 
miny 1 is it by abundance, or poverty ? is it by health, or sick- 
ness ? All this is unknown to me. It is in this, that Thou hast 
hidden all that is good and necessary for me, that my ignorance 
may be lost in thy ^yisdom, and my desires in thy will ! 

8d Point. Henceforth, oh my God, since it is thy pleasure, I 
will desire nothing except what Thou mayest see good for me, 
and wish only for those things wdiich Thou desirest me to pos- 
sess. I abandon myself entirely to thy providence, and accept 
w^ith joy whatever Thou wilt order for me. I will walk without 
fear in the way Thou hast directed .me to go, and be guided by 
thy wisdom, which shall be the star that will lead and govern 
me; I will welcome whatever Thou dost please to send me. 
Wherever Thou dost place me, there will I abide, without mur- 
muring, unless thy own hand deliver me. 

I shall henceforth be without choice or will, since I neither 
know what is best, or what is w^orst for me. I desire no more to 
ask for any thing, or refuse any thing. I wish to abandon myself 
entirely to Thee ; oh my God, conduct me. I wish to r^st in Thee ; 
oh my God, sustain me. I wish to give myself to Thee ; oh my 
God, receive me ! Thou art my shepherd, and I am one of the 
sheep of thy fold. In following Thee I shall not be lost, or be- 
wildered ; in abandoning myself to Tliee, I shall be eternally 
saved! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" His ways are beautiful ways, and all his paths are peaceable." 
Proverbs^ iii. 

"Abraham went out, not knowing whither he went." He- 
brews^ xi. 

" Make the way kno\^Ti to me, wherein I should walk." 
Psalm cxlii. 

" For as the heavens are exalted above th^ earth, so are my 
ways exalted above your w^ays, and my thoughts above your 
thoughts." IsaiaSy. Iv. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The Gospel. St. John, ii. 1-11. 

" When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, 
according to the custom of the feast. And having fulfilled the 
days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem, 



FIRST SU^JDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, 93 

and his parents knew it not. And thinking that He was in the 
company, they came a day's journey, and sought Him among 
their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding Him, they re- 
turned into Jerusalem seeking Him. And it came to pass, that 
after three days they found Him in the Temple, sitting in the 
midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. 
And all that heard Him were astonished at his wisdom, and his 
answers. And seeing Him^ they wondered. And his mother 
said to Him : Son, why hast Thou done so to us ? behold, thy 
Father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. And He said to 
them : How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I 
must be about my Father's business ? And they understood not 
the words that He spoke unto them. And He went down with 
them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his 
mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced 
in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and man." 



ON THE LOSS OF GOD. 

1st Point. What greater loss can we experience than the loss 
of God 1 It is as great an evil, as the possession of Him is an in- 
finite and perfect good. He who possesses God possesses all ; 
he who is so miserable as to lose God loses all. God is good in 
himself He is the throne of all greatness ; He is the centre of 
all motion ; the source of all joy ; the ocean of all consolation. 
Oh what greater calamity could befall us, than the loss of such a 
God ! To possess an infinite number of worlds, and to lose them 
all, would be nothing in comxparison with the loss of God ! 

God is the end of him who has possessed Him in life ; He is 
his felicity, his peace, and his sovereign good. He, then, who loses 
God, is necessarily and absolutely miserable ; he can have neither 
peace, repose, joy or consolation in his heart. His mind is inces- 
santly agitated with doubts and inquietude. He is the type of a 
lost soul, since it is the loss of God, which is one of the bitterest 
pangs of hell. He dwells in an upper hell, and is in peril of fall- 
ing into an abyss which is lower, which is eternal. Oh it is an 
unspeakable evil to lose God ! It is to forego all the treasures of 
nature, of grace, and the glory of the world to come. 

2d Point. How is it that we lose God'? We lose Him en- 
tirely by mortal sin ; we begin to lose Him by venial indulgences. 
We separate ourselves far from Him, by neglecting his inspira- 



94 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

tions ; ^ye leave Him when we forget his law ; w^e despise Him 
when we continue in lukewarmness ; and -we defy Him, by our 
presumption ! God lives in the soul b v a grace of union, by a 
grace of counsel, by a grace of protection, by a grace of con- 
solation. But mortal sin dissolves the beautiful union of the soul 
w^ith God ; venial sin weakens it ; unfaithfulness shakes it ; God 
is no longer in the soul, as He was ; He directs it no more ; He 
protects it no longer ; He consoles it no more ; his love no longer 
abides, with it. Oh what a frightful evil, is mortal sin, which 
causes us to love God ; and venial sin, which separates Him from 
us ! 

3d Point. Judas, what have you done ? You have received the 
silver, but you have lost God ! My soul, how often have you 
not lost Him ! How frequently have you not sold Him for a 
place of honor, for a momentary pleasure, for a sordid gain, 
for an imaginary good, for a handful of barley, or for a piece of 
bread, as the Holy Scriptures say ! Does He now dwell in your 
soul by grace ? Are you not in the guilt of mortal sin ? Are 
you faithful in following the path He has marked out for you ? 
Do you implore his protection ? Do you not seek too much con- 
solation 1 

Oh that I could weep, and weep incessantly ! I have lost the 
light and essence of all beauty ! My heart, how is it that you 
do not break with grief, for having lost your God, your Father, 
your spouse, your king, your peace, your good, your all ! Alas ! 
like David, I will weep night and day. Where — they say to 
me — 'where is thy God?' What have you done with hlral 
Where have you placed him '? 

You have lost Him, miserable wretch, by your pride, by your 
avarice, by your sensuality ! You have driven Him from you 
by your unfaithfulness and negligence ! 

Daughters of Jerusalem ! tell me where is your well beloved, 
that I may go and find Him, for I am resolved to seek Him, 
above all, and repair the great loss I have sustained by my in- 
gratitude and perfidy. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" My tears have been bread day and night, while it is said to 
me, where is thy God f Pso.lm xli. 

" Hear O ye heavens, and give ear O earth, for the Lord hath 
spoken. I have brought up children and exalted them ; but they 
have despised me." Isaias^ i. 

" Be astonished, O ye heavens ; for my people have done two 



FOURTEENTH OF JANUARY. 95 

evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and 
have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which hold no 
water." Jerernias^ ii. 



FOURTEENTH OF JANUARY. 

HOW TO FIND GOD AFTER HAVING LOST HIM. 

1st Point. We lose God bv sin, and find Him again only 
'through repentance. The indulgence of only one bad desire of 
'jhe heart is sufficient to separate Him from us. One sigh of 
true contrition is sufficient to restore Him to us. One tear is of 
such great value that it enables us to find God after having lost 
Him. One cannot recover a lost treasure, or restore a dead child 
to life, by shedding thousands of tears; but the shedding of one, 
single tear of repentance, restores God to you ! Oh, admirable 
virtue of repentance ! Oh, precious tears ! Oh, how insensible 
I am to shed so many for transitory griefs, and not spare one for 
the loss of God, for the desolation of my own soul ! Is it thus 
with you 1 

2d Point. One can find God, after losing Him, by seeking 
Him as the Blessed Virgin did ; with grief, with diligence, with 
care, with sorrow, with humility, and devotion. You cannot finS. 
Him in the world, in public places, or among friends and ac- 
quaintances, but you will have to go up to the temple, where He 
sits in the midst of the doctors. You will there find Him, and 
after He is found, it will be easy to obtain all that you want, for 
He has promised, that he who seeks shall find ; he who asks 
"ihall receive ; he who knocks at the door of mercy, it shall be 
opened unto him. Do you seek Him whom you have lost ] At 
^hat time 1 In what place ? In what manner ? 

3d Point. One regains his union with God, by flying from him- 
jelf ; he recovers his special devotion, by obedience to the pre- 
^pts of the Church ; the divine protection, by fidelity in little 
iiings ; heavenly consolation, by the mortificatioh of his mind 
ind body. One loses the infinite grace of his presence, by dissi- 
pation of heart, by too free an expression of opinion, by an in- 
discriminate disclosure of the mind, by the tumult of passions, 
by traffic with the world, by vain devices, and by curiosity; 
one recovers God by recollection, by solitude, by detachment 
from creatures, by peace, and by silence. 



98 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Oh TfLj Jesus ! Oh most sweet Jesus ! Heretofore Thou hast 
reigned in my heart, as on thy throne of grace, as in the temple 
of thy glory, as in the sanctuary of thy spirit, as in the habita- 
tion of thy chosen one. In thy presence my soul reposed in 
peace, and sought no other good. In Thee was my joy, and Thou 
didst satisfy me with heavenly delights. But, my God ! I know 
not where Thou art, or where I am ! Thou hast abandoned me, 
or rather I have lost Thee. Alas ! I behold myself in a frightful 
desert, without a drop of water to refresh me ; without a friendly 
shadow where I may repose! Oh, Fountain of living waters, 
where shall I search for Thee ? Where wilt Thou reveal thy re- 
freshing presence to my soul, which is fainting with thirst and 
weariness ? I seek Thee above all things, and shall find no re- 
pose until I find Thee ! 

I have at last found my Beloved ; I found Thee m the temple ; 
I will keep Thee, and will never let Thee go. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" We have sought Thee, sorrowing." St Luke, ii. 

" Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him 
while He is near." Isaias^ Iv. 

"Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened; seek his face ever- 
more." Psalm civ. 

" I sought Him, and I found Him not." Cant. iii. 

" Show me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feed- 
est, and where thou liest at mid-day." Cant i. 

"They found Him in the temple." St Luke, ii. 

" I found Him whom my soul loveth, I held Him, and I will 
not let Him go." CanL iii. 



FIFTEENTH OF JANUARY. 

MOTIVES FOR REPENTANCE. 

1st Point. The past affords four motives for repentance. First, 
The sins which you have committed against God, against your 
neighbor, and against yourself Secondly, The good which you 
have omitted to perform ; the little care you have taken to cor- 
rect your vices, to acquire virtue, and to advance in perfection. 
Thirdly, The time which you have lost, which is of all things the 



iilFTEENTH OF JANUARY. 97 

most precious, and the most irreparable when gone. Fourtnly, 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, whose life you have destroyed in your 
own heart, and in the hearts of your brethren who are yet on 
earth ; and in the hearts of those who are now dead, whose dam- 
nation you have perhaps occasioned by your evil counsels, youi; 
solicitations, and bad example. Oh what subjects for grief! Oh 
what motives for repentance ! Where will you find tears enough 
to efface the innumerable sins you have committed ? How will you 
recover sufficient time to make reparation for the good works you 
have omitted ? how will you restore the life of a God whom 
your sins have slain in your heart? how can you bring out of 
hell the souls which you have precipitated therein forever ? Je- 
rusalem weep, strike your breast with grief, put off your gar- 
ments of rejoicing, and cover yourself with sackcloth, for in your 
proud city is slain the Saviour of Israel ! 

2d Point. The present affords you two other causes of sorrow, 
confusion and repentance. First, The multitude of gifts that 
God has bestowed on you, which you have not profited by,* 
which you do not prize, and which you do not improve. Secondly, 
The insatiable longing you have for sinful pleasures ; the corrup- 
tion of your own heart ; the fragility of your flesh ; the illusion 
of your senses ; the snares that the devil spreads about your way ; 
the allurements of the world, which surround you on every side. 

What will vou wish to have done when it is too late ? What 
will you not wish to have suffered ? Will you have time for 
penance at the hour of death ? Oh my God, my Saviour, I am 
overwhelmed with confusion, when I see myself so sinful, so un- 
grateful, so hardened in vice, so attached to the world, so eager 
to live ! Oh mv Lord Jesus ! take from me the treasures which 
I abuse, and leave me the evils which I merit ; change my life by 
thy grace, or let me no longer live to offend and defy Thee. 

3d Point. The future proposes to you four terrible things for 
consideration, which should oblige you to do penance without 
delay. The first is Death, and the hour of its coming. One is 
inevitable, and the time of the other uncertain ; but it constantly 
advances, and may be nearer at this moment than you dream of. 
The second is your Judge, before whom you must appear ; whom 
you cannot deceive, who is inflexible, and whom you cannot avoid. 
The third is Hell, whose agonies shall be general, without conso 
lation ; continual, without interruption ; eternal, without end. 
The fourth is Heaven, which will deliver you from every evil ; 
which will fill you with every perfect joy ; and the possession of 
which will be eternal ! 
5 



98 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. * 

Oh forever ! oh eternity ! which shall never cease ! If one 
thinks of eternity he will never sin. Oh heaven ! how full of 
sweetness and holiness is the thought of heaven ! oh hell, how 
full of bitterness and horror is the thought of hell ! Oh time, 
l^pw short ! oh eternity, how endless ! Living always and never 
dying ; dying always and never living ! Behold the recompense 
of the good ! behold the portion of the wicked. Both wait on 
death. Death waits on life ; life depends on a moment ! 

Be wise, oh Christian soul, think of the past; consider the 
present, and prepare for the future. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities. Lord, who shall stand 
itl" Psalm cxxix. 

" To the penitent He hath given the way of justice, and He 
hath strengthened them that were fainting in patience." Eccles. 
xvii. 

" I attended and hearkened: no man speaketh what is good: 
there is none that doeth penance, saying : What have I done ]" 
Jeremias^ viii. 

" Behold, the day of thy death is nigh." Devt, xxxi. 

" Be penitent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may 
be blotted out." Acts^ iii. 



SIXTEENTH OE JANUARY. 



ON THE DUTIES OF FATHERS AND MOTHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN 
AND OF SUPERIORS TO THEIR INFERIORS. 

1st Point. God blesses a man with children, that he may lead 
them into the ways of righteousness, and teach them how to per- 
form those works by which they will merit eternal life. If it is 
his duty to provide nourishment for their bodies, how much more 
should he care for the nourishment of their souls ! He deserves 
not to be a father v>dio cannot govern properly those entrusted to 
him by God ; nor should he give life to the body if he cannot im- 
part it to the soul. 

At first, children are controlled by their instincts, but in the 
course of time their reason is developed, and it is then that pious 
instructions render them rational. Christian, and faithful. Un 



SEVENTEENTH OF JANUARY. 99 

happy indeed are those children whose fathers and mothers for- 
give nothing to ; more mihappy still are they to whom every 
thing is forgiven by their parents. Are you harsh and unrelent- 
ing to the defects of your children, or are you indulgent and 
yielding to all their faults and errors ] Into ^yhich extreme have 
vou fallen ? 

2d Point. In educating the hearts and minds of your children, 
you should blend sweetness and compassion with your severity, 
and thus imitate God, who is the most severe, as He is the most 
tender and merciful of parents. Are you not too severe in your 
conduct ? Ave you not over-indulgent towards them 1 Do you 
love your children ? Have you taught them to confide in and 
love vou? . Do thev fear vou too much] Do they fear you too 
little? 

3d Point. It is not judicious or right to punish a child on 
every provocation, nor is it proper to excuse him on every occa- 
sion. It is not always necessary to remain silent, nor is it of 
importance always to spealv. Every excess should be feared and 
avoided. Never chastise a child, or an inferior, when you are 
under the influence -of anger. A physician who is suffering under 
delirium, or any other violent disorder, should be first healed 
himself before he attempts to prescribe remedies for others. A 
father who corrects a child when he is under the effects of passion, 
deserves chastisement himself, much more than the culprit ho 
punishes. The penalty of a misdemeanor is a remedy whicli 
should be administered at the proper moment, and in a judicious 
manner. A chastisement corrects an evil, and imparts strength 
to the spirit, when it is just and moderate ; but when admmis 
tered too frequently, and without sufficient cause, produces con- 
tempt and hardihood. 

In what manner do you conduct yourself on this point towards 
vour children and inferiors ? 



SEVENTEENTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. If you desire to train your children properly, and 
preserve harmony in your family, it is necessary that you should 
love all impartially. An exhibition of partiality is the cause of 



100 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

much bitter discord. Why should you make a difference where 
nature has made none ? Why do you violate the rights which 
wisdom has established in the world ? Are not the branches of 
the same tree all instinct with the same life, and clothed in the 
same foliage '? Are you astonished and dissatisfied because your 
inferiors regard their equals with more affection than they do 
yourself? 

Nature is governed in its choice by inclination : charity loves 
without inclination, and even against the natural inclinations of 
the heart. It is natural to love those who are the most virtuous 
and amiable, in a higher degree than others ; but your preference 
must be concealed, lest it arouse jealousy in the minds of those 
who have an equal natural right to your affection. It is necessary 
to imitate God, who loves the good more than the wicked, but 
who often permits a higher degree of temporal prosperity to 
attend them than waits on the good. The just envy not the tem- 
poral treasures of the wicked ; nor do sinners covet the spiritual 
goods of the just. It is thus that you ought to love your chil- 
dren and inferiors, with a patient and impartial love. Do you 
lOve them according to these rules? Are you -not indulgent, ten- 
der, and affectionate towards some, and severe, harsh, and unlov- 
uig towards others ? Have you not a cherished favorite, towards 
whom you testify such undue affection as to arouse the vindictive 
and jealous feelings of the rest? Works are more eloquent than 
language; example is more powerful than precept. Can you 
teach those things of which you are ignorant, or defend that 
which you do ? The child places more implicit faith in what he 
sees than in what he hears. He has but little doubt of his 
ability to do those things which he sees performed by his in- 
structor. He seeks his glory and perfection in imitating you. 
Thus all your sins become the scandal and inheritance of iniquity, 
which pass from generation to generation of your descendants ! 
Nature is corrupt, and is inclined to imitate evil more readily 
than that which is good, especially when it is clothed with power 
and authority. Examine yourself on this point, for God will re- 
quire at your hands the souls which He has given you. As you 
have done towards them, so shall you be rewarded. 

3d Point. Instruct your children and inferiors with care ; chas- 
tise them in moderation ; love all impartially, at least appear to 
do so ; be not influenced by your inclinations ; consent not to 
their disorder ; correct them not in anger ; beware, and do not 
flatter their passions ; do not, by weak indulgence, increase their 
vices, or preserve and strengthen divisions among them. Forgive 



EIGHTEENTH OF JANUAKY. 101 

when it is necessary ; chastise when it is proper and judicious to 
do so. 

Masters ! regard your servants with the same feelings of re- 
sponsibility to God as you do your children ! They are not your 
children by birth, but they are by position and adoption. God 
has made them dependent on you for instruction and support, 
and you should counsel, correct, and govern them, affording them 
always in your own deportment a good example, as if they were 
your children. If you are deficient in these duties, at the day of 
judgment your children and servants will testify against you, 
they will accuse you, they will condemn you. How will you 
reply to them ? How will you excuse the violation of so sacred 
a trust to God ? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

' " Hast thou children 1 instruct them." Eccles, vii. 

" Good instruction shall give grace." Prov, xiii. 

" He that loveth his son correcteth him betimes." Ibid, 

" But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones, it were 
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and 
that he were drowned in the depths of the sea." Matt, xviii. 

" leathers ! provoke not your children to anger. Uphesians, vi. 



THE EIGHTEENTH OF JANUARY. 

ON THE OBEDIENCE WE OWE TO GOD. 

1st Point. God was obedient to man, and man is not willing 
to be obedient to God. God submitted to man, and man is not 
willing to submit to God. Consider who it was that obeyed, and 
who it was that He obeyed ! In what He obeyed, and how often 
He obeyed. In what manner He obeyed. He who obeyed, was 
a God ! those whom He obeyed were his creatures ! He obeyed 
them in all things. He obeyed them without murmurs and with 
respect. He obeyed them during his life on earth. And you, 
who are the creature of his hands ; you who are nothingness, a 
slave, a sinner, are unwilling to obey your King, your Father and 
your God 1 If you obey Him, is it not an obedi-ence without love, 
and of brief continuance, which is gladly forsaken for the service 
of the devil ? 

2d Point. Who has so good a right to gather and enjoy the 



102 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

fruits of a vine as he who has planted and nourished it? who 
has so indisputable a right to live in a house as he who has 
erected it? who is so much entitled to the service of a slave as 
he who has purchased and paid an infinite price for him ? Is it 
not God who has given you being ? is it not He who has formed 
you with his hands ? is it not He who has purchased you with 
his own blood ? Have you not vowed allegiance to Him at the 
Baptismal Font ? have you not promised to obey Him, your 
Lord and King ? How numberless are the blessings w^hich He has 
bestowed on you ! How innumerable the evils from which He 
has delivered you ! What is there that you cannot hope from 
Him? What have you not to fear, if you do not obey Hini? 

3d Point. You must of necessity obey God or the devil ! 
What comparison is there between these two masters ? God is 
your king; the devil is your tyrant. God loves you with an in- 
finite love ; the devil hates vou with an infinite malice. God can 
bestow on you eternal treasures ; the devil eternal evils ! Those 
who serve God are rewarded with the joys of eternal life ; those 
who serve the devil are always at war with God, and know no 
rest in time or eternity. Which of these masters do you obey? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"The Lord, your God, He is the God of gods, and the Lord of 
lords, a great God, and mighty, and terrible." Dent x. 

If then I be a father, where is my honor? and if I be a master, 
where is mv fear ?'' Malachias, i. 



NINETEENTH OF JANUARY. 

ox THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. God does not demand impossibilities from us: his 
yoke is sweet and his burden easy. He commands you to love 
Him with your whole heart : is there any thing more just ? He 
commands you to love your neighbor as yourself: is there any 
thing more meritorious? All that God requires of us is con- 
densed in these two commandments, " Love the Lord thy God 
with thy whole heart, and thy neighbor as thyself" 

2d Point. Oh law of my God ! thou art sweet, thou art rea- 
sonable, thou art useful, and profitable to those who are faithful 



t SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 103 

in its observance ! Oh my God ! I find no pleasure, but in \\\ilk- 
ing in the way of thy commandments. I have nothing of any 
value, except in the treasury of thy love, and am as one van- 
quished in the spoils of thy enemy. 

Answer me, my soul ! do you submit to God 1 Is it not just 
that you should obey Him, who gave you life? who has pre- 
served it through dangers seen, and unseen, and who can destroy 
it when He pleases ; who has filled you with blessings ; who has 
promised you infinite joys; and who will make you miserable in 
^ime and in eternity, unless you obey Him ? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Shall not my soul be subject to tha Lord, for from Him is 
my salvation ?" Psalm Ixi. 

" Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof?" 
1 Corinthians^ ix. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The Gospel. St. JoJin^ ii. 1-11. 

"At that time there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee ; and the 
mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and his 
disciples to this marriage. And the wine failing, the miother of 
Jesus saith to Him : They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her : 
Woman, what is it to me, and to thee 1 my hour is not yet come. 
His mother saith to the waiters : Whatsoever He shall say to you, 
do ye. Now, there were set there six water pots of stone, accord- 
ing to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or 
three measures apiece. Jesus saith to them : Eill the water pots 
with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus 
saith to them : Draw out now, and carry to the chief stew^ard 
of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward 
had Jasted the water, made wine, and knew not whence it was, 
but the waiters knew who had drawn the w^ater ; the chief steward 
calleth the bride-groom, and saith to him : Every man, at first, 
setteth forth good wine, and vrhen men have well drunk, then 
that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until 
now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, 
and manifested his glory ; and his disciples believed in Him." 



104 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



ON WHAT PASSED AT THE WEDDING FEAST. 

1st Point. Jesus was present at the marriage in Cana, to au- 
thorize it, to consecrate it, to sanctify it, and to perform amidst 
those who were present with Him at the feast, the first of his 
miracles ; to relieve the wants of the guests ; and make known to 
his Church, that the intercession of his blessed mother, was all 
powerful with Him. He was accompanied by her, because He 
wished her to co-operate in all the blessings, and graces, which 
He imparted to men. He ate with modesty. He entertained the 
guests with holy discourses ; He was made sorrowful by excesses 
and loose language. Invite Jesus and his holy mother to your 
bridal, to your feast, to your amusements, to your recreations, to 
your designs, to all yoitr affairs : be silent in his presence, attend 
to his counsels, and all will be well with you. 

2d Point. They had not wine enough at the feast, and Jesus 
turned water into wine. Never have we more cause to hope in 
God, than when all seems wanting, and likely to disappear. Never 
will you taste of heavenly consolations, as long as you relish 
those which are earthly. It is necessary to present the water to 
the Son of God, for Him to convert it into wine. If in a spirit 
of obedience and humility you do all that you can. He will do 
the rest, and supply whatever may be deficient. He demanded 
bread, in the desert, that He might multiply it ; and water at the 
marriage feast, that He might turn it into wine. It is necessary 
to hope in God, but sinful and presumptuous to tempt Him. He 
tempts God who, like the devil, demands a miracle of Him, with- 
out having done any good work to merit a manifestation of his 
power or love. 

2d Point. Going to Holy Communion is going to the marriage 
feast. It is held in the heart of each one who communicates. 
Invite Mary to be present at your espousals with her divine Son. 
Represent your wants, your miseries, your necessities to her con- 
sideration, and say : " Blessed Lady, the wine of love and devo- 
tion is wanting for the feast ; I have only a little cold and insipid 
water to honor thy Son's presence, I therefore implore thee to ask 
Him to convert it into wine. He will do it if thou, dost wish it ; 
and it is only necessary, gracious Lady, for thee to express thy 
desire for Him to accomplish it. And if, while on earth, thou 
couldst prevail with Him by a single word to work so great a 



SECOND MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 105 

miracle, how much more will He do at thy request, now that thou 
reignest in heaven with Him, if thou wilt make knowai to Him 
my necessities." 

Rejoice and be glad, O my soul ! we are going to the marriage 
feast, to the feast of the Lamb. Why is it that you are sad ] 
What is it that you fear 1 Why should you go to your espousals 
trembling and weeping ? You are invited to the marriage feast 
of a God ; you will there partake of the bread of angels ; you 
will become the spouse of Christ ! And you approach the holv 
banquet as if you were being led to ignominy and death. Listen 
to what this spouse says : " Eat, O my friends, drink and be in- 
ebriated, my dearly beloved." The wine that God has given us 
to drink on earth is mixed with some bitterness, it can only be 
pure in the kingdom of heaven; but these consolations, though a 
little bitter, are infinitely more sweet than all the pleasures of 
this unreal life. Blessed are they, who are invited to the mar- 
riage feast of the Lamb. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The mother of Jesus saith to Him, They have no wine." >S'^. 
John^ ii. 

" Hear me, and I will show thee over whom the devil can pre- 
vail." Tobias^ vi. 

" The king hath brought me into his store-rooms, we will be 
^d and rejoice." Cant, i. 

'' Eat, O my friends, and drink and be inebriated, O my be- 
loved." Cant. V. 

" Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of 
the Lamb." Apoc, xix. 



SECOND MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY 

ON THE GOSPEL OF SUNDAY. 

1st Point. They made a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, and 
Jesus was invited. Men invite Jesus to their banquets, and Je- 
sus invites men to his feast. Jesus condescends to assist at the 
banquets of men, and men do not wish to assist at his. This 
feast is the Holy Communion, and the Son of God is the spouse 
of my soul. This marriage is more perfect than can be well im- 



100 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

agine^l, since man "becomes not only of the same body, but of 
the same spirit with our dear Lord. It is indissoluble on his 
part, but not so on ours. He gives us all the rich treasures of 
his grace, and love, without reserve. If Christians reserve to 
themselves any thing ^yhich is his due, it is through a spirit of in- 
fidelity, which does not correspond with the love of Jesus Christ. 
Oh, what grief for Him ! Oh, w^hat confusion for us ! Do you 
receive this heavenly spouse without reservation, and with hum- 
ble fidelity ] 

2d Point. Those who come to this marriage feast with fear and 
trembling know not the divine goodness of Him who invites 
them, nor the honor He does them, nor the blessings He offers 
them. ^ Those who receive with too much boldness are ignorant 
of the grandeur, the holiness, and dignity of Him whom they 
receive. " Mv friend," He will sav to them, " wiiere is thv wed- 
ding garment f This wedding garment can be purchased only 
on two conditions. Your soul must be in a state of grace, and 
your conscience cleansed from all known mortal sin. You must 
be at peace with all the world, and at enmity with no man. 
Which are you? Are you a timid and distrustful bride, who 
dares not approach her divine spouse ? Are you a bold and pre- 
sumptuous one, w^ho approaches Him without the nuptial robe of 
grace and charity 1 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, Thou hast done me the honor to invite 
me to thy wedding feast ! Thou dost threaten me with thy ^ 
ger if I do not approach it worthily. What course shall I take 1 
If I eat not at thy table, Thou hast declared that I shall not have 
life in me; if I receive Thee unworthily, thy apostle declares 
that I eat and drink judgment to myself. I desire eternal life, 
and the thought of being damned fills me with horror. It is ne- 
cessary, then, that I should receive Thee often, and receive Thee 
worthily. 

8d Point. When you invite Jesus and his holy Mother to your 
marriage feast, you should not undertake any thing without hav- 
ing asked, and received with humble faith, their benediction, which 
changes w^ater into wine, and causes all to go on without difficulty 
or disturbance. When vou make choice of a state of life, or eno;a2:e 
in any employment, design or plan, without first inviting Jesus 
and Mary to consecrate it by thJir presence, the wine changes into 
water, and you find nothing but sorrow, disappointment, and 
affliction. God disappears from you ; poverty becomes your 
portion ; the course of grace is stopped, and the mind is filled 
with trouble ; the heart struggles with its own bitterness, and the 



SECOND TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 107 

passions are thrown into wild disorder. Know, O Cliristian soul, 
what a sinful and bitter thing it is to forsake the Lord your God, 
and despise the counsels of his wisdom ! 

Never act through the impulse of passion. Ask the counsel 
of wise and virtuous men, and if at any time your pursuits have 
been bad and sinful, receive for your penance the pains and diffi- 
culties of your state in life, and by your humility and patience 
satisfy the justice of God, that He may once more receive you 
into his favor, and restore you to his love. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The kingdom of heaven is like to a man, being a king, who 
made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call 
them .that w^ere invited to the marriage, and they would not 
come." SL Matt, xxii. 

" A certain man made a great supper, and invited many. And 
they began all at once to make excuses." Luke^ xiv. 

" But I say to you, that none of those men that were called 
shall taste of my supper." Ihid, 

" Bring in hither the poor and the feeble, and the blind and the 
lame." Ibid. 

" Unless vou eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, you shall not have life in you." John., vi. 



SECOND TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON A STATE OF LIFE. 

1st Point. The Church is a bodv, of which Jesus Christ is the 
head, and all the faithful are members. Each one is gifted with 
different functions, though all are animated by the same spirit. 
The good and perfection of a member consists in remaining con- 
tentedly in the place which God has assigned him, and in perfai*m- 
ing well the duties of its state. If the hand wishes to be in the 
place of the eye, and the eye wishes to be where the hand is, these 
two become burdensome, and disturb the good order and har- 
mony of the body ; and being, through perversity, without nour- 
ishment, because they are engaged in an unnatural war, they 
become lifeless, and are a scandal to the other membei's, and an 



108 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

offence to their head. Tliis is the comparison which is made by 
the Apostle St. Paul. 

It is the same with all men^ God has assigned to each one a 
place and function in his Church, and to each state He has attached 
peculiar blessings for those who are faithful. If we are in the 
state, or engaged in the employment or occupation which God 
has chosen for us, we enjoy a profound peace ; we rest under his 
protection; we are nourished by his grace; we are enriched by 
his blessings ; and work out our salvation with but little pain, 
and infallibly arrive at perfection. 

On the contrary, if we refuse to accept the vocation to which 
God has appointed us, or if we are unfaithful to it, we suffer as 
many pangs as a limb which, through some accident, has been 
wrenched out of place. We are continually tormented by evil 
spirits, who have power over a soul that is out of its proper 
sphere of action. We are no longer under the protection of God, 
since we have withdrawn from his guidance, and voluntarily left 
his watchful providence. We fall often and grievously, because 
we are unsustained by the grace which belongs to the state in 
which God desires us to be. We have nothing left on which to 
found the hopes of being restored and recognized by Him, except 
penance and a sincere sorrow for our wanderings. But when 
one defers his repentance and return too long, God, in his anger, 
cuts him off, as a contaminated member, and casts him into hell. 

2d Point. Behold that which causes the damnation of so m.any 
souls ! Without consulting God, they throw themselves, at the 
suggestion of their passions, into various states of life, for which 
they have no vocation ; they become weary of remaining in the 
place He has, assigned them, and of performing the duties con- 
nected with it; they aspire to a position for which they have 
neither the capacity or talent. Thus they lose their devotion, 
neglect their prayers, and give themselves no trouble to seek 
God ; and if they do seek Him, they find an angry God, who re- 
proaches them incessantly for their infidelity, and for the contempt 
they have shown his service. They hear a voice, which admon 
ishes them day and night, from the depths of their souls : " You 
are not where God designed you to be. You are not doing that 
whitih He ordered you to do. It is not He who has sent you to 
this place. It is not He who has given you this commission. 
Instead of recompense, you shall receive from Him only severe 
chastisements." 

Are you not one of these miserable ones? Are you in the 
state, or engaged in the occupation, or in that place, wherein God 



SECOND TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 100 

wishes you to be ? Plave you not chosen the place \v'here lie does 
not desire you to be ? Have you not obliged your superiors to 
submit to your will '? Have you not abandoned the watchful care 
of Providence 1 Oh Jonah ! God sent you to Nineveh, and you 
wish to go to Tarsus ! You were buffeted by the tempest, cast 
into the sea, and swallowed by a monster of the deep ! Behold 
what shall come on those who abandon God, to follow their own 
passions and inclinations ! They shall be tossed, like Jonah, by 
continual tempests. They will remain, like one in a lethargy, in 
the hold of their vessels, unconscious of sickness, or danger, Tintil 
they perish in the stormy sea, and are swallowed up in hell ! 
Know thou^ and see^ that it is a bitter and fearful thing for thee 
to have left the Lord thy God^ lohen He desired to lead thee m the 
way of salvation^ and that my fear is not with thee^ saith the Lord 
God of Hosts. 

Oh my God ! my God ! have pity on me ; restore to me the 
peace that I have lost by my disobedience. Since I have departed 
from thy guidance, all creatures are against me ; 1 toil unceasingly 
and succeed with nothing. Wherever I turn, I find only crosses, 
tribulation, contradictions, and afflictions of mind and body ; and 
that which crushes me down under my misfortunes more than 
every thing else, is, that my soul is, as it were, in hell, without 
light, strength, or consolation ! Thou hast abandoned me because 
I tirst abandoned Thee. Oh Lord, my God 1 be merciful to me,' 
for I recognize my fault. Cause me to enter again into the or- 
der of thy Providence and grace, through the rigors of thy justice. 
Have compassion, dear Lord, on a poor wandering sheep who is 
in danger of being devoured by the enemy of souls. Receive me 
into thy fold, oh my sweet Jesus ! my Shepherd ! Grant me this 
grace, and I will serve Thee faithfully all the days of my life. 
Whatever betide me, I vow never to leave Thee or forsake Thee 
again. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide un- 
der the protection of God." Psalm xc. 

" See if there be in me the way of iniquity, and lead me in the 
eternal way J' Psalm cxxxix. 

" Hath not this been done to thee, because thou hast forsaken 
the Lord thy God, at that time when He led thee by the way." 
Jeremias^ ii. 

" What hast thou to do in the land of Egypt, to drink the 
troubled water ]" Ibid, 



110 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy apostasy 
shall rebuke thee." Ibid, 

" Know, then, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for 
thee to have left the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not with 
thee, saith the Lord, the God of Hosts." Ibid. 



SECOND WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



ON SPIRITUAL JOY. 



1st Point. It is the privilege only of good men to rejoice, be- 
cause they have a good conscience, which, says Holy Writ, is like 
a perpetual feast to them, for they always possess God, being at 
peace with Him, and their joy is inexhaustible because He is its 
source, and they always live in his presence, who makes the feli- 
city of heaven and of earth ; because they are under his divine 
protection, which constitutes their peace and assurance; because 
they receive continual marks of his favor, by the loving-kindness 
He shows towards them ; because they have almost evident signs 
of their predestination ; and an assurance almost certain of their 
'salvation, which of all things in the world is the most consoling. 
Ah, why is it then. Christian soul, that you are cast down ? Do 
you doubt the goodness of God ? Do you doubt his love ? Do 
you doubt the price and the value of the blood of his Son % Do 
you believe that He desires the damnation of those whose salva- 
tion has cost Him so much, and for which He has sacrificed his 
only Son ] 

2d Point. The joy of the wicked is false and shameful, it is 
vain and impure, and superficial. It is mixed with much bitter- 
ness ; it is transitory, and its fruits are eternal sighs and tears. 
Have you ever found true joy in creatures ?^ Have you ever found 
solace in sin ? Oh my God ! Thou hast ordained it to be so, that 
the sinner finds his own punishment in his sin ! Good men are 
afilicted in the world, but it is in affliction that they are most con- 
tented, because they know that it is then God is bestowing on 
theiTi sensible marks of his love, and they reciprocate it, by giving 
Him marks of their fidelity. It is not in prosperity that we know 
our friend, but in adversity. God proves his servants. He leads 
them, like the soldiers of Gideon, to the waters of tribulation, but 
after having proved their courage, their patience, love, and fidoL- 



SECOND THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. Ill 

ity, He fills them with joy, and obliges them to eiy out, like St. 
Francis Xavier, '' It is enough, oh my God, it is enough !" 

What greater honor could we have than to suffer for Christ ? 
What greater consolation than to receive pledges of our salva- 
tion, and to participate in the sufferings of so good a master? It 
is this which renders good men so resigned in their pains, their 
griefs, their afflictions, and their misfortunes. 

Are you a servant of Jesus Christ, you who murmur and 
esteem yourself miserable, when any misfortune happens to you ] 
Oh, my God! how great and abundant is the consolation that 
Thou hast reserved for those who truly love Thee ! Sinners seek 
for delights only in sensible things, but as for me, I will rejoice 
only m God, and in Jesus my Saviour. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice." Philips 
pians^ iv. 

" Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven." 
Zuke, X. 

" Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, because your rew^ard is very 
great in heaven." Si. Matt. v. 

" This I know from the beginning : the praise of the wricked is 
short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment." Job, xx. 

" Woe to you that laugh now : for you shall mourn and weep." 
Luke, vi. 



SECOND THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The joy of good men does honor to God; it is an 
unmistakable proof that they serve a good master. Others, who 
see their joy and satisfaction, are won to his service ; for all men 
love happiness, as they love life. The wicked wear out their 
patience, in searching after it ; but they seek in vain for it in the 
service of a cruel master. But when they repent and enter into 
the service of God, their fears and disquietude vanish, and they 
rejoice in a peace which they had never before conceived. 

2d Point. A servant of God who is morose and unhappy dis* 
honors his master, disgraces his service, inspires horror for devo- 
tion, and a contempt for virtue. He causes the wicked to believe 



112 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

that the yoke of the Son of God is insupportable, and that it will 
profit them more to serve the devil. What do jou say, base and 
unfaithful servant 1 What is the cause of this sinking ? Do you 
serve a tyrant ? Is not God sufficient for your happiness ? Who 
can satisfy you if God cannot ? " Retire from me," the Son of God 
Avill say to all such : " you disgrace my service, you defame me ; 
I honor my father, and you dishonor me. To serve me accept- 
ably, you must serve me freely, and cheerfully ; otherwise, you 
are an offence to me." 

3d Point. To possess spiritual joy, it is necessary to have a 
good conscience. It is necessary to have a heart detached from 
creatures, for their loss troubles and afflicts those who love them. 
It is necessary to abandon one's self to the will of God, and rest 
under his direction. It is necessary to desire nothing with eager- 
ness, but feel an indifference to all. It is necessary to love suffer- 
ing, to fly from the pleasures of earth, and not to seek consolation 
in the gratification of sensuality ; for sensual joy drives out spirit- 
ual joy. Finally, it is necessary to be always recollected in God, 
to dwell on the benefits He has bestowed on us, and consider the 
great and unspeakable good which He has prepared for us. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour." Luke, i. 

Does your soul glorify God, as did the Blessed Virgin's, and 
does your spirit rejoice in the Lord, as hers did ? 

" I am. filled with comfort, I exceedingly abound with joy in all 
our tribulations." 2 Corinthians, vii. 

If you love God as St. Paul did, you will rejoice in the midst 
of sufferings and complain, only because you have so little to 
suffer. 

" I set the Lord always in my sight, for He is always at my 
right hand, that I be not moved. Therefore, my heart hath been 
glad and my tongue hath rejoiced ; moreover, my flesh shall rest 
in hope." Psalm xv. 

My God !• what joy, always to consider Thee present at our 
right hand, to perfect us in our hearts, and console us in affliction ! 

"Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just; praise becometh the up- 
rio;ht." Psalm xxxii. 

If your heart is in anger and bitterness, it cannot praise God; 
it is a sign that He is not at your right hand. 



SECOND FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 113 

SECOND FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON ARIDITY AND DRYNESS. 

1st Point. 1 believe that which I see. I hope for that which 
is possible to me. I love that which delights me. I believe in 
the light. I hope in strength. I rejoice in consolation. Behold 
the life of the senses. 

I believe that which I do not see. I hope for that which seems 
unattainable. I love that which does not please me. I believe 
amidst the darkness. I hope amidst weakness. I rejoice in the 
midst of sorrow. Behold the life of the Spirit. There is a time 
to keep silence, and a time to speak ; a time to laugh, and a time 
to weep ; a time for winter, and a time for summer ; a time for 
rain, and a time for drought; a time for peace, and a time for 
war ; a time for consolation, and a time for desolation. 

Winter is as necessary to the earth, as summer ; night, as day ; 
rain, as sunshine. The soul loves consolation, but does not merit 
it, unless it has been tried by temptation. It is. in darkness that 
we ought to see shining the light of faith ; it is in abandonment 
that we ought to depend on his constancy ; it is in desolation, 
that we ought to trust in his love ! 

2d Point. Oh, my God ! my devotion is sensual and natural ! 
It is impure and selfish ! I do not adore Thee in spirit, since I 
seek only the gratification of my senses ! I do not lead a super- 
natural life, since I do not raise myself above the inclinations of a 
natural life. I do not, up to this moment, merit any thing; since 
I have done nothing, nor suffered any thing contrary to my own 
will. 

3d Point. Oh, happy state ! wherein the soul sees God without 
light ; hopes in God, without support ; loves God, without conso- 
lation ; works for God, without pleasure. It is beholding God, 
without species ; it is being united to God, without medium ; it 
is feeling divine things ; it is no longer subsisting by one's self, 
but by a divine subsistence ; it is leading a supernatural life ; it 
is the life and reign of Jesus Christ ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And after darkness I hope for light again." Joh^ xvii. 
" And I have made my bed in darkness." Ibid, 



114 DEVOUT MEi:)ITATIONS. 

" For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but justice 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rojuans^ xiv. 

" God is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in 
spirit and truth." St. John^ iv. 

" They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if 
they are not filled." Psalm Iviii. 



SECOND SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

SPIRITUAL CANTICLE. 

1st Point. Say to me, my well beloved, where is it that Thou 
takes t thy repose and thy repast % It is in a pure and detached 
heart : there 1 repose and find the paradise of my delights. 

Let there be stillness in the house of God, and silence in para- 
dise. Lord, since Thou hast spoken I have lost the power of 
speech, I am full of thoughts, but have no words to express them. 

Oh, my heart, guard well the treasure that you possess ! The 
spouse enters ; the gates are closed : He came when they were 
open. Peace, love, secrecy, and silence. Behold in these things 
a defence which will keep your soul in safety. 

2d Point. Retire from me, my well beloved, but do not stay 
long away. Withdraw from me thy presence, but not thy. love. 
Withdraw from me thy consolation, but not thy sufferings. With- 
draw thy paradise from my soul, or draw me into thy paradise ! 

I can receive no joy if I am not attached to thy cross. If Thou 
dost not give me suffering, excess of joy will cause me to die. It 
is too much sweetness : it is too little grief Oh, my God! my 
love ! All my rejoicing is in tribulation; all my desire is to de- 
part and be with Thee. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The Gospel. Matt. viii. 1-13. 

" At that time when Jesus was come down from the mountain, 
great multitudes follovv^ed Him- and, behold, a leper came and 
adored Him, saying: Lord, if Thou wilt. Thou canst make me 
clean. And Jesus, stretching forth his hand, touched him, say- 
ing: I will ; be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy was 
cleansed. And Jesus saith to him : See thou tell no man ; but 



SECOND SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 115 

go show thyself to the priest and offer the gift \Yhich Moses com 
manded, for a testimonv unto them. And when He had entered 
into Capharnauin, there came to Him a centurion, beseeching Him, 
and saying : Lord, ray servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, 
and is grievously tormented. And Jesus saith to him : I will 
come and heal" him. And the centurion m.aking answer, said : 
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter beneath my roof, 
but only say the word and my servant shall be healed. For I 
also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers, 
and I say to this one. Go, and he goeth ; and to another. Come, 
and he cometh ; and to my servant. Do this, and he doeth it. 
And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to them that followed 
Him : Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith in 
Israel ; and I say unto you, that many shall come from the east 
and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven ; but the children of the king- 
dom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness : there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the cen- 
turion : Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. 
And the servant was healed at the same hour." 

ON COMMUNION. 

1st Point. One good communion will make a saint, and to 
render it good it is necessary to have good will and perfect con- 
trition. Those who require a perfect sanctity as a necessary con- 
dition to receive this divine sacrament, thinking that they thereby 
honor God, abase and dishonor Him. They would make it as 
useless to those who receive it as to those who do not receive it. 
What good will this holy Sacrament do me if I find in myself a 
perfect sanctity I And when I receive it, is it necessary that I 
should possess this sanctity ? Is it being holy to think merely, 
that one has arrived at* the height of holiness] Is it not rather 
a perfect and consummate blindness ? 

2d Point. Nothing is more unreasonable than to demand, as a 
necessary disposition to receive this sacrament, that purity with- 
out stain, and sanctity v/ithout defect, which is the fruit, the effect, 
and the end of this sacrament. But what presumption ! to be- 
lieve one's self worthy to receive a God ! If we measure our un- 
worthiness in the excellence of this holy sacrament, we will never 
communicate. If we measure it bv our poverty, we will com- 



116 DEVOQT MEDITATIONS. 

municate every day. Jesus is not in this sacrament to make us 
fear Him, but to make us love Him. He has not taken the form 
of bread only to be looked at, but to be eaten. What are your 
dispositions'? Do you approach the holy table often? Who, or 
what prevenjbs your doing so ? 

3d Point. Prepare yourself carefully to communicate, but be 
convinced that the best preparation is the knowledge of your own 
poverty and misery, with a firm hope that our dear Lord will 
complete it, by giving you an affectionate desire to receive Him. 
It is necessary to partake of this celestial food with an eager and 
longing appetite. What kind of a preparation is it to receive 
Him with love, when your heart is filled with excessive fear ? 
And who can help being seized with fear, believing it to be an 
abuse of this sacrament, if they do not receive it with angelic 
purity ! Salvation sometimes depends on a communion : how 
do you know but that it is for this reason that the tempter of 
your soul persuades you to abstain from frequenting the table of 
the Lord 1 

Jesus, in this divine sacrament, is not only the nourishment of 
our souls, but He is also a remedy for all the evils which afflict 
them. He nourishes us as food, and heals us as medicine. If, 
then, you are sick, you should not go away, but approach Him 
like the leper, begging to be healed. One cannot receive the 
principal efiect of this sacrament, which is sanctifying grace, 
without receiving all the other fruits which it produces. In order 
to receive increase of grace, it is necessary to be exempt from 
mortal sin, at least from all that we can call to mind. In order to 
receive all the fruits it is intended to produce in us, it is necessary 
not to be attached, voluntarily, to any venial sin. Have you not 
such an attachment, you who communicate to-day 1 Is it not 
that which prevents the effects which your communions should 
cause, and renders you so feeble and languishing? Have you 
not some habitual sin, which you do not wish to destroy ? Are 
you willing to die after having received holy communion? Are 
you always resolved to labor for your perfection ? These dispo- 
sitions are safe for those who can communicate. 



THIRD MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 117 

THIRD MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE DISPOSITIONS NECESSARY TO RECEIVE WELL. 

1st Point. To communicate often, and become more \yicked, 
is a sign that we have not made a good use of this sacrament. 
But we must not think ourselves more wicked, because we feel 
a strong inclination to do evil. Communion does not destroy 
at once every bad inclination ; it leaves us some, to hold us in 
dread of ourselves, and in dependence on grace. It does not 
take from us the sentiment, but it takes the consent, savs St. 
Bernard. Would you desire to commit a mortal sin ? Ah, how 
is it then that you profit so little by your communions? Could 
you abstain from committing it, if your soul were not nourished 
by the body and blood of Jesus Christ? 

Do not confound the emotions of evil with consenting to evil. 
You may be wicked, although you have strong inclinations to be 
good ; and you may be holy, although you have strong inclina- 
tions to do evil, provided you do not consent to those inclinations. 
Should temptations, then, influence you to remain away from this 
holy banquet? They should rather urge you to approach, in 
order to find there the strength to resist, and a remedy to cure 
those inclinations which beset you against your will ; to warm 
yourself when you are cold, eat when you are hungry, and take 
medicine when you are sick. Are these the desires of a person 
who wishes to live, or of a despairing one, who wishes to die ? 

2d Point. Sensible devotion is not necessary to com_municate 
well, since it does not depend on your own will, and God often 
refuses it to the greatest saints, for fear they will cease to en- 
deavor to obtain it, or receive it on some presumption of their 
own merits. It is not in sensible devotion that true devotion 
consists, but in a prompt and constant wish to do all that God 
wishes us to do, and to avoid every thing which is displeasing to 
Him. Do that which you can do, with the grace of God, and 
"supply," says St. Bernard, "by your will, whatever is wanting 
in your charity ;" thus you will be always well prepared. 

Without grace you can do nothing that is good, and from 
whence will you draw it, if not from this sacrament, which is the 
true nourishment of the soul, the source and fountain of all 
good ? The best of all preparations is that of the centurion, 



118 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

who confesses that he is unworthy for our Lord to enter under 
his roof, but he desires the cure of his servant. Humility and 
desire render a soul well disposed to receive a divine guest. Hu- 
mility reveals to us our unworthiness, and desire our poverty. 
One constrains us to say, with the centurion, '' Lord. I am not 
luorthy ;" and with St. Peter, " Retire from me^ Lord^ for I am 
a sinner ;^'' but the other makes us say, with the same Apostle, 
when the rest of the company retreated from their beloved Mas- 
ter, '''Lord! to whom shall we go if not to Thee^ who hast the 
tvords of eternal life .^" 

In order to humiliate ourselves before our Lord, it is only ne- 
cessary to examine these two points : Who art Thou, my God % 
Who am I ? Thou art my Creator ; I am thy servant. Thou 
hast existed from all eternity ; I am only nothingness. Thou art 
light ; I am darkness. Thou art strength ; I am feebleness. Thou 
art the Holy of holies ; I am the sinner of sinners. 

To desire Jesus Christ, it is necessary to consider the honor 
and profit which we receive from eating at Hfs table ; the infinite 
love which invites us ; the desire He has to enter into our hearts, 
and communicate to us his life; the extreme misery to which 
we are reduced, and the remedy we shall there receive with his 
grace, to resist temptation. 

Happy are they who are invited to the wedding-feast of the 
Lamb. More happy still are they who sometimes eat there. 
Thrice happy are those who eat there often, and worthily. They 
have marks of their salvation, and almost certain pledges of their 
predestination. Taste ^ and see how sweet the Lord is, 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom pre- 
pared for you. I was a stranger, and ye took me in. Depart 
from me you cursed, into everlasting fire, for I was a stranger, 
and you took me not in." >S'^. Matt. xxv. 

" And He said to them : With desire I have desired to eat 
this pasch with you before I suffer." St, Luke^ xxii. 

'• He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 
me, and I in him." St, John^ vi, 

" A certain man made a great supper, and invited many, and 
they all began at once to make excuses." St. Luke^ xiv. 

" And I say to you, that none of those men that were invited 
shall taste of my supper." St, Luke^ xiv. 

" Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and 



THIRD TCESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 110 

bring in hither the poor and the feeble, the blind and the lame.'' 
SL Luke, xiv. 

'' Zaccheiis, mafce haste and come do^yn, for to-day I must abide 
in thy house ; and he made haste and came down, and received 
Him with joy, and when they all saw it they murmured, saying, 
that He w\as gone to be the guest of a man that is a sinner." 
St, Luke^ xix. 

" Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my 
roof. St, Matt, viii. 



THIRD TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON CONFESSION. 

1st Point. As often as you confess, you honor the wisdom of 
God, by an act wdiieh expresses an avowal of your own ignorance. 
You honor his 'power, by the exposure which you make of your 
weakness. You make suitable amends to his greatness, and 
majesty, w^hich you have offended. You gire to his justice the 
satisfaction which he demands. You abase your pride. You 
turn awav the chastisements that you merited, and which God 
had prepared for you. You sacrifice to Him yourself, w^hich, 
above all things m the w^orld, you love the best. You purify 
your soul. You apply a sovereign remedy to your wounds. You 
acquire a particular right to the grace of God. You strike at the 
root of your vices. You secure your salvation. You find peace 
and repose for your conscience. 

2d Point. Ah, my soul ! do you now comprehend that con 
fession is the key that unlocks the treasury of the grace of God \ 
Do you now understand how^ excellent a thing it is to confess 
often % Why, then, do you confess so seldom % Why is it that 
you approach the throne of the mercy of God w^ith so much fear, 
so much confusion and inquietude % Do you not know^ that you 
have offended Him % Do you not wish to repair the injury you 
have done ? You cannot make more worthy satisfaction than to 
humiliate yourself before Him, and confess your sins with sincere 
contrition. Have you not merited hell % What a consolation to 
be able to turn away the anger of God, and avoid the everlasting 
pains of hell, at so small a price ! How can you, who are not at 
peace with God, expect peace or consolation in your conscience'? 



120 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

It is only by a reconciliation with Him, that you can obtain these 
heavenly graces. 

3d Point. Oh my good, my merciful God, I thank Thee for 
having afforded me this safe plank after shipwreck ; for having 
presented me with so easy a remedy for my wounds. What 
should I be without this resource ? Where should I have been at 
the present time ? What would have become of me in the future, 
if I had not this means of returning to Thee, and of being restored 
to thy favor? Oh, happy souls, who wash themselves often in 
the sacred laver of thy blood ! Unhappy souls ! who prefer eternal 
death to a remedy so easy and efficacious ! More miserable still 
are those who abuse and make subservient to their crimes the 
sacrament which ought to destroy them. 

As for me, I will sing constantly with thy prophet this beauti- 
ful canticle of love and gratitude : Bless the Lord, oh my soul, 
and let all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the 
Lord, oh my soul, and never forget all that He has done for Thee, 
Who forgiveth all thy iniquities ; who healeth all thy diseases ; 
who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who /^rowneth thee 
with mercy and compassion ; w^ho satisfieth thy desire with good 
things, thy youth shall be renew^ed like the eagle's. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' The Lord who made us." Psalm xciv. 

'• Lay open thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be 
directed." Proverbs^ xvi. 

" Be not ashamed to confess thy sins." Eccles, iv. 

'' My Son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and confess, 
and tell me what thou hast done, and hide it not." Josue^ vii. 

" Give thanks while thou art living, whilst thou art alive and in 
health, thou shalt please God and shall glory in his mercies." 
Eccles, xvii. 

"And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, 
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, it shall be bound in 
heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed 
also in heaven." St. Matt xvi. 

" Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose sins ye shall forgive, they 
are forgiven them ; and whose sins ye shall retain, they are re- 
tained." St. John^ XX. 



THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 121 

THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE DEFECTS OF CONFESSION. 

1st Point. There are some who are not sufficiently scrupulous 
in the examination of their conscience, and others who fall into 
the opposite extreme by being too much so. The first are those 
who do not enter properly into themselves, or devote that time 
and care which is necessary to the discovery of their offences. The 
second are those who occupy themselves exclusively in thinking 
of their sins without making the least effort to conceive a true 
sorrow for them. This is a cunning and malicious stratagem of 
the devil, who does not object to confession when contrition is not 
united to penance ; and who, to deprive you of obtaining the grace 
of true compunction of conscience, occupies your mind incessantly 
with what you are to say. He does not permit you to reflect on 
the goodness of God or your own ingratitude ; on your perfidious 
conduct, or the cause of your disorders'; of the means of abandon- 
ing them, or the amendment of your life. Are you not one of 
those anxious and scrupulous souls who believe themselves lost 
if they forget a single sin, and are only satisfied with their con- 
fession when they have made an exact declaration of their faults 
without having conceived either grief or contrition for them ? 

If it were absolutely necessary that you should confess those 
thhigs which you cannot remember, God would make them known 
to you. If He does not enlighten you, after having spent a rea- 
sonable time in the examination of your conscience, He will par- 
don freely whatever sins you forget. It is more acceptable to 
Plim for you to afilict your heart than your mind ; to detest the 
sins that you remember, and to make greater eflbrts of your will 
than of your memory. He wishes you to humiliate yourself be- 
fore Him ; to make a sacrifice of your own will, and abandon 
yourself to his mercy ; and consider and apply to yourself, that 
which it is necessary for you to do^ rather than that which you 
have to say. Correct this defect in yourself, and ask pardon of 
Ahnighty God. 

2d Point. It is not necessary for contrition to be sensible in 
order to be true. It is necessary to conceive a great sorrow for 
your sins, but it is not necessary to judge of the truth or the sin- 
cerity of the sentiment by the emotions you may feel. It is only 
those, Avho, in sincerity of soul, wish not to deceive God ; who 
G 



122 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

shrink with horror from committing ■ sacrilege ; who detest their \ 
sins, and determine by the aid of his grace to abandon them, that 
have true sorrovv^ and compunction. It is a common artifice of 
the devil to persuade penitents that they are without true repent- 
ance if they do hot feel a sensible sorrow, in order to trouble 
them, disquiet them, give them a horror for the sacrament of 
penance, and thus hold them always slaves to their sins. Are 
you one of those miserable penitents who never believe they have 
true contrition unless they feel it ] Correct this dangerous fault. 
Go in good faith to God ; be not too particular in your devotions; 
He lo-ves simplicity of heart. If you do not feel that degree of 
contrition which you think the number and quality of your offences 
demand, give yourself no uneasiness or distraction, but supply the 
defect by a profound humility and tender confidence in the mercy 
of God. 

oD Point. To fall a second time into the same sin is not a cer- 
-tain mark that your repentance was defective ; the sacraments do 
not render you impeccable. Their effect is to prevent our falling 
often and grievously. The truth of the preceding deed is not de- 
stroyed by the fact of the deed which follows, I can relapse into 
sickness after having recovered. Had not St. Peter made a good 
confession ? What sin did he commit the same night ] Never- 
theless, when one falls continually into mortal sin, and does not 
amend his life after confessing, when he is not more vigilant and 
faithful, it is much to be feared that such penitents do not really 
desire to forsake their sins. Nature is weak, but the heart is 
wicked ; and it is necessary to set at defiance, and do violence to 
its love and its hatred, its inclinations and instincts. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Behold, thou art made whole, sin no more, lest some worse 
thing happen to thee." SL John, v. 

"If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive our 
sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity." 1 Si. John^ i. 

" Be converted to me with all your heart, rend your hearts and 
not your garments, and turn to the Lord, your God, for He is 
gracious and merciful, patient, and rich in mercy." Joel, ii. 

" I thought upon the days of old, and I had in my mind th@ 
eternal years, and I meditated in the night with my own heart, 
and I was exercised, and I swept my spirit." Psalm Ixxvi. 

" I have acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my injustice I have 
not concealed, and I said : I will confess against myself my in- 
justice to the Lord, and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my 
sin." Psalm xxxi. 



THIED THURSDAY AFTER' EPIPHANY. 123 



THIRD THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. . 

ON SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE. 

1st Point. Shoiv yourself to a priest^ who is the physician of 
your soul ; who holds towards you the place of God ; who is the 
organ of his word ; the interpreter of his will ; who is given to 
you to guide you to heaven, to counsel you in your doubts, to 
console you in your afflictions, strengthen you in your combats, 
to expose to you the snares of the devil, and to apply a divine 
remedy to all the diseases of your soul. Discover to him the 
wounds inflicted by sin, and the infirmities of your nature, for 
God desires it and will not heal you unless -you obey him. 

Have you a director 1 Why have you not 1 Is it because you 
do not wish to be healed ] Is it that you believe you are not in 
need of one ? You are then already, or will soon be, under a de- 
lusion. Where is there a man who, knowing what he is, will 
venture to say he is sufhcient for himself and requires no better 
guide ? Does God govern us by particular revelation 1 . This is 
an heretical sentiment. Ayq you more enlightened than St. Paul, 
to whom God sent a poor priest to instruct and guide him ? are you 
more enlightened than the most illustrious saints who submitted 
themselves entirely to their director as children to their parents, 
scholars to their masters, travellers to their guides, sheep to their 
shepherds ? 

2d Point. The sheep is a docile animal which cannot live with- 
out a shepherd. The wolf is a savage and solitary animal who 
hates a shepherd. Are you a sheep or a wolf? Are you one of 
the predestined or a reprobate '? You declare yourself to be a 
person whose life is spiritual. If so, you should possess more 
humility and be more distrustful of yourself than of others ; you 
ought to place more depend ance on God, and submit with more 
docility to his guidance. Since, then. He guides men by men, 
what right have you to suppose that He will direct ybu if you 
have no one to instruct or admonish you ? 

It is necessary to know ourselves that we may distrust our- 
selves. Is there any one on earth more diseased than you are ? 
is there any one more feeble ? is there any one more blind ] Ah, 
why is it then that you do not resort to a physician to be healed 1 
or to a captain who will defend you 1 or to a master who will in- 
struct you ? or to a guide who will lead you 1 Is it not tempting 



124 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

God to wish to evade his divine law ? Who will assure you 
that you are in the right way if not those through whom our dear 
Lord addresses you, and to whom He says, " he wdio hears you 
hears me, he wdio despises you despises me." To govern the 
soul it is necessary to have supernatural light, celestial science, 
extraordinary graces, and discretion of mind to discriminate be- 
tween the movements of grace and nature, of God and of the 
devil. Do you not know that these gratuitous graces are not im- 
parted to us for ourselves alone, but for others also V He who is 
much enlightened in the science of guiding the souls of others is 
often very blind in leading himself, for God allows his graces to 
flow only through the channels of obedience and legitimate author- 
ity. He who establishes himself as his own master and guide 
has but little care for the artifices of the devil, w^ho persuades 
him that it will be impossible for him to fall into a delusion if 
he depends on his own judgments. The ways of God being above 
our reason, it is necessary to have particular graces to distinguish 
and understand them ; for God recuses his grace to the haughty, 
and imparts it only to the humble and obedient. 

Oh, my God ! I confess my blindness. I have mistaken night 
for day, darkness for light, evil for good, and lying visions for 
the truth. 1 see spread out before me paths without number, but 
I do not know wdiich one of them is designed for me by Provi- 
dence to lead me to heaven. Thou say est to me, through the 
wisest of men, that there are paths which resemble the way of 
eternal life^ hut which conduct those who folloio them to death ! 
How do I know but that I am pursuing one of these deceptive 
paths ? Who will assure me, if not he whom Thou hast appointed 
to guide me and w^hom Thou hast commanded me to obey ? I 
renounce then my own will, my own guidance, and determine 
henceforth to obey implicitly the instructions of my spiritual 
director. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Be not wise in thy own conceit ; fear God, and depart from 
evil." Proverbs^ iii. 

" The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that is wise 
hearkeneth to counsels." Proverbs^ xii. 

" He that trustetkin his own heart is a fool." Proverbs^ xxviii. 

^' My son, do thou nothing without counsel, and thou shalt ijot 
repent when thou hast done." Eccles. xxxii. 



THIRD FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 125 

f 

THIRD FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE CHOICE OF A CONFESSOR. 

1st Point. It is prudent to be careful in the choice of a con- 
fessor, and not to trust your spiritual guidance to any one indis- 
criminatelv ; but when you have chosen him it is necessary to 
trust him entirely, unless his conduct or way of life afford reason 
to believe that he is either incapable of guiding the souls of those 
under his care, or does not feel disposed to take the necessary 
pains to do it. By a good confessor we understand one who is 
learned, experienced, wise, prudent and charitable. Generally 
speaking, it is proper to distrust a confessor who desires to render 
those under his charge implicitly obedient to his direction, and 
deprive them of the privilege of addressing themselves to others, 
in relation to their spiritual affairs, and who seeks to govern the 
temporal as well as the spiritual concerns of his penitents, and 
make them vow obedience to him. If your confessor is of this 
description, you will act discreetly to abandon him, for there is 
reason to fear that his conduct is more human than divine. 

2d Point. Persons who are over particular in the matter of a 
confessor, and difficult to suit, should be careful to select one who 
will teach them tVie elements of a spiritual life, and lead them by 
the royal road of humility and mortification. Others are not less 
to blame, who heedlessly place their souls under the spiritual 
direction of guides who are suspected in their doctrine or lives. 
Alas ! is the body which perishes of more value than the soul 
that never dies? When we are diseased we seek th^id of the 
most learned and skillful physicians for relief, but how is it with 
the soul whose diseases are more fatal ? Fearing the odium of incon- 
stancy, do we not abandon them to the spiritual care of men who 
neither understand their complaints or how to apply the proper 
remedy for their relief? It is only when the soul is in an extrem- 
itv, and no time to be lost, that anv one holdinsr the functions of 
the priesthood m^ay be called in to minister to it, lest it perish 
ternally. 

3d Point. It is extremely dangerous to separate God from the 
person of your confessor, because it naturally follows that you 
will either despise or doubt him, or become attached to him by 
badly regulated sentiments. But if you regard only God in your 
intercourse with him, you will speak to him with respect, listen 



126 " DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

to him with hiimilitj, obey him with submission, open your heart 
to him with confidence, and refrain from murmuring against him, 
or speaking of him with too much familiarity. If it is not thus 
between your confessor and yourself, you have reason to distrust 
yourself. And much more so, if you feel a desire to sec and con- 
verse with him when it is not necessary; if you are uneasy and 
sad when absent from him ; if you dispute and argue with him ; 
refuse to obey him in spiritual matters, and murmur and- com- 
plain that he does not think as much of you as he does of others. 
Examine yourself on these points and correct them. Cliange 
your director if he is not profitable to your spiritual advance- 
ment, particularly if he is suspected in his doctrines. But if he is 
learned and virtuous ; if his doctrines are pure, and his life with- 
out reproach, do not change your confessor, but change your life^ 
and correct the irregularity of your w^ays. 

Oh Lord, with thy Apostle I ask Thee, What Thou wouldst have 
me do ? I am deeply consciotis that I am incapable of governing 
myself, and I have learned from thy servant that a man is not 
master of his own ways. That it is Thou who hast marked out 
the road for our feet, and we ought to travel therein if we truly 
desire to find Thee. Oh, my Lord and Master, be Thou my 
director ! Can I have one who is better, more capable or sure 
than thyself? But I see my presumption in praying thus. Thou 
wilt send me back, as Thou didst thy Apostle, to Ananias. I will 
obey Thee, dear Lord, and him also whom Thou hast appointei 
to hold thy place. I will abandon my soul to his guidance and 
endeavor to learn from him the holy science of perfection. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that heareth you heareth me ; he that despiseth you de- 
spiseth me." St. Luke^ x. 

" The Scribes and Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. 
All, therefore, they shall say to you, observe and do : but accord- 
ing to their works, do ye not ; for they say, and do not." St, 
Matt, xxiii. 

" For the lips of the priest shall keep knowledge ; and they 
shall seek the law at his mouth : because he is the Angel* of the 
Lord of hosts." Jlalachias, ii. 

" There is a way which seemeth just to a man ; but the ends 
thereof lead to death." Proverbs, xiv. 



* The Angela viz., the Minister and Messenger. 



THIRD SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 127 

" Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do '?" Acts, ix. 
" Arise, and go into the city ; and there it shall be told thee 
what thou must do." Ibid. 



THIRD SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON OBEDIENCE TO SUPERIORS. 

1st Point. Abraham believed God^ and it was imputed to him, 
unto justice^ says St. Paul. The first duty of justice is to submit 
our minds to God and to those who, appointed by himself, hold 
his place on earth. For as a man has received every faculty he 
possesses from God, he ought to offer Him principally the homage 
of his mind and will, which are above all the rest. The mind sub- 
mits to God in believing those things which it does not compre- 
hend ; the will renders him obedience by doing those things with 
a submissive spirit which are repugnant to it. If I submit only 
to that which my reason can grasp, my obedience is not elevated 
above nature ; it is not divine, it is human ; and I refuse to God 
the principal homage that He requires from me. Jesus, who is 
the wisdom of the father, was a model of obedience. Listen to the 
sweet accents of humility which declare : " As I hear so I judge ^"^ 
— •'/ seelc not my own w?7/," and yet, you who are his creature 
judge only by the senses, and do only those things which are 
agreeable to your will. Is this obedience ? Do you not fear the 
chastisement of Saul, who was punished for having preferred his 
own judgments to those of Samuel % Does not the fate of Ana- 
nias and Saphira, who were struck suddenly dead for having re- 
served to themselves a part of their offering, terrify you % All 
men must submit themselves entirely to God, particularly those 
who choose a religious state and make a vow of obedience. If you 
do not submit without question to the judgment of those who are 
appointed to govern you, then you are not, properly speaking, 
either a Christian or a religious. For we are Christians by faith, 
and religious by obedience ; and either of these two require a sub- 
mission of mind to those who are teaching us, and a willingness 
to be governed by those who conduct us. 

2d Point. Original sin impaired our understanding as well as 
our will. Without grace I can neither know or do any good 
thing ; and this grace is only given to humble and obedient souls. 
Oh, what perverse blindness to prefer the exercise or suggestions 



128 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of our own undisciplined mind to that of oar superiors ! What; 
assurance can a person have that he is in the way of salvation 
who is guided by no other light than his own 1 What is there 
more difficult to find and to follow than the right road to heaven ? 
How many men who followed only the suggestions of their own 
reason have fallen into delusions ? As long as the sheep allow 
themselves to be guided by their shepherd they are safe, but 
when they wander far from the fold and his protection, they are 
devoured by the wolf, who watches day and night for them. 

Are you docile ? do you follow without resistance the guidance 
of your shepherd? do you not esteem yourself more wise, learned, 
and enlightened than he is ? do you not reason and argue concern- 
ing those things which he has ordered you to perform ? do you 
not murmur against his commands and the rules which he has 
prescribed for you 1 " Lord^'' said Samuel, " thy people no longer 
wish me to govern themP " It is not thee^^"^ said God to him, " whom 
they despise^ it is m,e ; they are weary of my laws and wish me no 
longer to rule over them!''' 

Haughty spirit! you will not submit to the government of, 
your God ; you must then be under that of the devil. You will 
discover how infinite is the difference between these two masters. 

Oh, my God, I have wandered like a lost sheep ; I have followed, 
even to the present time, only the dictates of my own reason. I 
have obeyed only the suggestions of my passions. Reclaim thy 
poor servant, oh my God, who has wandered from the path of 
duty, and undertake once more the guidance of my soul ! Oh, it 
has fallen into strange disorders since it separated itself from 
Thee. My soul, will you not be subject to your God] And if 
you subject yourself to Him will you not subject your reason and 
will also to his law % 

3d Point. The ways of God are admirable, but they are hidden; 
they lead to heaven, but by pa^ths unknown to us, and which often 
appear contrary to our good. As our end is supernatural it is 
necessary that the ways that lead us thither should be so like- 
wise. The ways by which God designs to lead us are so hidden 
that we can only feel assured of our salvation when we abandon 
oui'selves blindly to the spiritual direction of those who conduct 
us. For it is to them, and not to us, that God discovers the paths 
v/herein it is his holy will that we shall walk. If I submit my 
reason to the will of my superiors, I am therefore certain that I 
am doing the will of God. Can He deceive me ? Will He deceive 
me? Why, then, need we distrust his Providence? 

Oh, how happy is the niiin who abandons himself blindly to tlio 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHAN F. 120 

law of holy obedience. He has embarked in a vessel wherein he 
can rest and sleep, because Jesus Christ is his pilot. But he who 
is governed by the judgment of his own will is constantly dashing 
against rocks and suffering shipwreck. 

Obey, then. Christian soul, your director ; obey him in all that 
is not contrary to the law of God ; obey him promptly on every 
occasion ; obey him constantly, even unto death ; obey him blind- 
ly, without discussion or argument, in all which is not sinful, like 
a little child who obeys his mother. The decree has been pro- 
nounced : if you do not become as a little child you shall not 
enter the kingdom of heaven. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Obedience is better than sacrifice." 1 Kings^ xv. 

" As I hear, so I judge, and my judgments are just." >S'^. John^ v. 

" Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do 1 and the Lord said to 
him : Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee 
what thou must do." Acts^ ix. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The Gospel. St Matt. viii. 23-27. 

" At that time, when Jesus entered into a boat, his disciples 
followed Him, and behold a great tempest arose in the sea, so 
that the ship was covered with waves, but He was asleep. And 
his disciples came to Him and awakened Him, saying : Lord, 
save us, we perish. And Jesus saith unto them : Why are ye 
fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up. He commanded 
the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm. But the 
men wondered, saying : What manner of man is this, for the 
winds and the sea obey Him ]" 

1st Point. Jesus entered into a vessel, followed by his disci- 
ples. He led them out on the sea, that He might prove their 
faith, and give them a manifestation of his power. Avoid all 
dangerous occasions, but should you be led into them by circum- 
stances beyond your control, be careful to have Jesus with you, 
otherwise you will perish therein. Beseech Him to direct you in 
all vour designs, and to bless all that you undertake. He w ill 
6* 



130 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

do it if you are not governed by the impulses of your own pas- 
sions, and are sincerely determined to follow his counsels. 

2d Point. When Jesus is with us, He causes great tempests 
to rise from the deep, for the purpose of teaching us to watch 
always, instead of seeking rest here below ; and ever to have 
recourse to Him in tribulation, that we may recognize his care 
and providence. The dangers of the world resemble those of 
the sea. They assail us, either in tempests, which arouse our 
passions ; or stand in our way like rocks, which are evil asso- 
ciates ; or pursue and rob us like enemies and pirates, which are 
the world, the flesh, and the deyil ; or beset us like calms, which 
are long seasons of great prosperity ; or place us in peril through 
the negligence of our pilot, or that of the sailors, who sleep in- 
stead of w^atching ; or abandon us to the power of great fish, like 
w^hales, which are the dragons of the sea, which means devils, or 
the companionship of sinful and wicked men. According to some 
of the Fathers, Judas was the cause of this tempest. Examine 
yourself as to the source and cause of the tempests which toss 
and buffet you, and fly for succor to Him who is alone able to 
still them. 

Alas, my Lord ! I have examined myself, and perceive that all 
my misfortunes arise from my own ill-regulated passions, and the 
bad companions with whom I constantly associate. Oh my passions 
excite fearful tempests in my heart ! Oh, I now see how pernicious 
is the example and companionship of the 'wicked to my soul ! 
When, my dear Jesus, wilt Thou deliver me from this stormy 
sea, where I am tossed by continual tempests ? When wilt Thou 
rebuke and command my passions, that they may be still '? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Behold, he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Is- 
rael." Pmhn cxx. 

" Thou calledst upon me in affliction, and I delivered thee ; I 
heard thee in the secret place of tempest : I proved thee at the 
waters of contradiction." Psalm Ixxx. 

" Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, 
and thou shalt glorify me." Psalm xlix. 

" I sleep, but my heart watcheth." Oant, v. 



FOURTH TUESDAY ATTER EPIPHANY. 131 

FOURTH MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. What must we do when the tempest rises, and 
threatens us with destruction ? You must approach Jesus as the 
disciples did, to awaken Him by your cries and prayers ; and 
finally have recourse to Him, who seems to sleep unconscious of 
your peril. It is necessary to represent to Him your necessities, 
and exclaim, " Save, Lord, or we perish." If after that the tem- 
pest continues, fall at his feet and rest with Him, relying on his 
providence without fear of the storm, being persuaded that Jesus 
will soon arise, and command the winds and the waves to be still. 

2d Point. Why are ye afraid, O ye of little faith 1 Have you 
yet to learn that nothing happens on earth without the permission 
of God ? Is He not the ruler of the earth and sea ? Can He 
not appease every tempest? Wait, then, for a little while in 
patient faith, and He will appear and command the stormy waves 
to be still, so that a great calm will ensue. Summer succeeds 
winter, consolations follow trouble, peace appears after tribula- 
tion, day comes after night, and after the tempest a calm. 

3d Point. Oh sweet Jesus ! Thou behdldest the danger to 
which I am exposed, and the waves of temptation which threaten 
to engulf me ! How much longer wilt Thou sleep while I 
perish? Rise up, O Lord, why sleepest Thou? rise up, and do 
not reject us, or suffer us to perish. 

The Lord is with me : I fear neither stormy winds or tempests, 
nor men nor devils. My soul ! what is it that you fear ? Jesus 
is with you. He permits temptations to assail and to toss you, 
to try your faith, your hope, your love. Repose on his provi- 
dence, and say with David : " / have slept, I have taken my rest, 
and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me. When 1 
called upon Him, the God of my justice heard me : when I was in 
distress Thou hast enlarged me." Psalm iv. 



FOURTH TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE USE AND NECESSITY OF TEMPTATION. 

1st Point, Evil purifies the good, tempests give strength and 
resistance to the roots of trees ; the continual agitation of the 



132 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

sea prevents the corruption of its waters ; the wind blows the 
chaff, and separates it from the wheat ; fire refines gold ; snow 
heats the earth ; combat is the test of virtue ; infirmity preserves 
humility ; temptation augments charity. Oh my God, it is good 
for me to be humiliated. Try me, my God, and prove me ! But 
no ! this is presumption. Suffer me not. Thou my Father, to be 
tempted beyond my strength, for 1 know too well my own weak- 
ness and poverty. There are none so helpless as I, none who are 
not more able to defend themselves. If it is necessary that I 
should be tempted, give me strength to overcome the temptation, 
and do not permit the enemy of my soul to gain an advantage 
over me. 

2d Point. Every thing is opposed by a something adverse to 
it. We cannot exist without opposition. It is the war of the 
elements which purifies . the air, and gives peace and fruitfulness 
to the earth. If you are without temptation how can you be 
saved ? If you fly ingloriously from the combat you shall not be 
saved. If you are not assaulted how can you overcome ? It is 
better to be proved here than be reproved hereafter. Gold and 
straw were cast together into the fire ; the gold was purified, and 
the straw consumed. 

What are your temptations '? How do you pass the ordeal ? 
Is your faith of gold, or of straw 1 Are you victorious in the 
conflict ] Do you surrender your arms to the enemy 1 What a 
shame to allow yourself to be vanquished in the service of God ! 
What baseness and cowardice to yield, when God and the holy 
angels are the witnesses and spectators of the combat ! What 
perfidy to betray your prince ! Wh^t a misfortune to lose a 
crown through want of courage. What excuse can you offer for 
not having resisted temptation 1 

3d Point. Nature is weak, but grace is strong. You combat 
with spirits, but you have spirits to defend you. Evil spirits are 
powerful, but good angels are more so. You are only a man, 
but vou are clothed with the strenorth of God, who fights for you. 
Why, then, are you so often vanquished 1 Alas, it is because you 
are unfaithful and treacherous; it is because you do not invoke 
the aid of God, and have recourse to Him ; it is because you do 
not avoid the dangerous and proximate occasions of sin ; it is 
because you do not guard your heart, and withhold your consent 
to the admission of the devil ; it is because you are not faithful 
in little things ; what wonder, then, that you fall into great ones ! 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 13f 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

''What doth he know, that hath not been tried?" Eccles, xxxiv. 

" Gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the 
furnace of humiliation." Eccles, ii. 

" Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be wxll rewarded ; 
because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself. 
As gold in the furnace He hath proved them, and as a victim of a 
holocaust. He hath received them." Wisdom^ iii. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. I am tempted. Hold fast your integrity, tempta- 
tion only endures for a season. If you yield to it you will regret 
it eternally ; if you resist it, your consolation will be inexpressi- 
ble. In giving up to it you become a slave ; in resisting, you 
become a king. There is much pain and weariness in contending 
with, but great joy in vanquishing, a deadly foe. The conflict is 
difficult, but it is necessary ; it exercises your virtue ; it develops 
the strength of your fidelity ; it imparts a glorious lustre to your 
courage ; it causes your love to triumph ; it gains crowns for 
you; it enriches you with infinite treasures of grace, and makes 
you worthy of eternal life. 

2d Point. What do you fear? God is for and with you, hence 
you are stronger than your enemy, who cannot overcome you 
without your ow^n consent ; he is a ferocious but enchained dog, 
who cannot inflict a wound on you, unless you approach him. 
You are not rendered culpable by having an inclination to sin, 
and if you combat w^ith the temptation, and overcome it, your 
recompense will be made more glorious by the conflict : it is re- 
sistance that crowns patience. 

3d Point. When you are tempted, ascend in spirit to heaven, 
and behold all the ineffable bliss you are in danger of losing; de- 
scend into hell, and see all the frifrhtful miseries which vou are on 
the point of gaining ! Remember, that the pleasures of this life 
pass, and leave a mortal sting in the heart : pain also passes, but 
it leaves peace, and extreme satisfaction in the soul ; that a person 
who is wise will avoid those things which will give him great 



184 DEVOUT TVIEDITATIONS. 

cause for repentance ; that if you place yourself in the way of, 
and consent to temptation, you must either repent, or be eternally 
lost. On the termination of this conflict depends, perhaps, your 
salvation; on this moment depends,- perhaps, your eternity; on 
the result of this crisis depends, perhaps, your life and your 
health ; and on temptation depends, perhaps, your predestina- 
tion. 

Oh, Jesus ! my King and my Lord ! I have most shamefully 
betrayed Thee ; I have often abandoned thy side, to range myself 
with thy enemies, to fight against Thee ! My heart is. penetrated 
with sorrow ; I am in extreme confusion when I review my base- 
ness, my ingratitude, my treachery, and my perfidious conduct. 
What shall I do to repair my fault? Thou sayest that I must 
make war with my enemies, and gain as many victories as I have 
hitherto lost. I wish it, I desire it ; but, alas, I am feeble ! I am 
base ! I am inconstant. Aid me, O Lord, and keep me near Thee, 
and if all the spirits of hell gather round about me, I will not 
fear them. Send the succor of thy armies, oh God, speedily to 
my assistance ; defend me against thy enemies ; scatter those 
who hate Thee ; sustain me, strengthen me, and let not the devil 
boast that he vanquished me, even when Thou didst sustain me. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" God tempted Abraham." Genesis^ xxii. 

" Fear not ; for God is come to prove you." Exodus^ xx. 

" God hath tried them, and found them worthy of Him." Wis- 
dom^ iii. 

"The trying of your faith worketh patience." SU James^ 1. 

" Every man is tempted, being drawn away by his own concu- 
piscence." Ibid, 

" Count it all joy when you shall fall into divers temptations.'' 
Ibid, 



FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

D;fMtati0n. 

ON THE DOMINION OF GOD OVER US. 

1st. Point. You have not always existed. There was a time 
when you were not. It is God who has drawn you from noth- 
ing ; it is He who has given you your being. You are therefore 
his creature, and his dominion is absolute over you. He can 



FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 135 

command you to perform his will ; He can forbid you to do 
whatsoever He pleases ; He can defend or forsake you according 
to his own good pleasure ; He can govern and direct you as He 
wills; He can place you in whatever position He pleases; He 
can preserve or destroy you ; He can elevate or cast you down ; 
He can console or afflict you ; He can cause you to live or die. 
As He has created you, body and soul, He alone holds supreme 
dominion over you ; and it ought to be sufficient for us to know 
that He commands a thing, for us to believe it is just, holy, and 
reasonable. 

2d Point. Do you believe these truths, Christian soul ? Are 
you persuaded that God is your King and your Sovereign ? that 
He has absolute power over you ? that He can make you subser- 
vient to his will 1 Ah, why is^t, then, that you do not honor and 
obey Him ? Why is it that you despise his commandments, and 
are continually opposed to his holy will ? Why do you complain 
and murmur at the ways of his providence ? AH that He does is 
not sufficient to satisfy you ; you are even so insolent as to ac- 
cuse Him of injustice and harshness towards you, if not with }^ur 
lips, at least in your heart. 

3d Point. Are you contented in the place,' condition and state, 
in which his providence has established you 1 Is there nothing 
wherein you have rebelled against his commands ? Have you 
not murmured against him when some grievous event has be- 
fallen you ? Can you say with David, " My heart is ready ^ 
God^ my heart is ready for all thingsy Is it ready to receive 
honor 1 is it ready to receive ignominy ? is it ready to live in 
abundance? is it ready to live in poverty? is it ready to. enjoy 
health? is it ready to suffer all the pains and inconvenience of ill- 
health and sickness ? is it ready to live ? is it ready to die ? Are 
these your feelings, these your dispositions ? Alas ! you have 
lived up to the present time like one who believes there is no 
God, and will not recognize his sovereignty. Are you not more 
guilty than the atheist, in believing in God and not adoring Him, 
in recognizing his sovereignty and refusing to obey Him ? 



136 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. God is your first cause and the master of your i.e ; 
He is its preserver ; He is its reparator. You depend on Him 
necessarily ; you depend on Him essentially ; you depend on Him 
absolutely ; you depend on Him continually ; you depend on Him 
eternally. Oh sweet truths to a soul which loves God ! Oh ter- 
rible truths to a soul which does not fear Him ! It is in vain, oh 
rebellious and insolent heart, that you have said with Pharaoh, 
that you recognize no master, noj: even the Lord above ^ you. 
There is one on whom you depend eternally and essentially, and 
nothing can withdraw you from his dominion. 

2d Point. Is it not just, my soul, that you should submit to, 
and obey Him who has given you being, who preserves you at 
all 4iimes, and who can take you out of the world at any moment 
He pleases] Oh what injustice to drive God from a heart which 
He has formed with his own hands ; from a heart which He has 
purchased with his blood ; from a heart wherein He wishes to 
repose; w^hich He wishes to prepare and sanctify, in order to 
make it the palace of his glory, the throne of his greatness, and 
the temple of his spirit ! What presumption in a worm of the 
dust to murmur against Plim who created him. What ! God 
commands the wind and the sea to be still, and He is instantly 
obeyed ; He delivers his commands to man, who is the most dear 
of all his creatures to Him, and that w^orm of the dust receives 
them with contempt, outrages, and disobedience. If He is your 
f ither, where is the love you ^ear Him 1 If He is your sovereign, 
where is the obedience that you owe Him? 

3d Point. Oh, God my Father ! Thou hast in me a most wicked 
child ! Oh God my King ! Thou hast in me a most rebellious sub 
ject. I am filled with grief and confusion when I reflect on the 
manner in which I have treated Thee ! How hast Thou been able 
to bear so long and. patiently with my pride and insolence ? Of 
what benefit was it to a majesty like thine to have preserved so 
long the life of a rebellious slave, and loaded him with gifts and 
blessings, instead of chastising him as he deserved ? Oh my crea- 
tor, my father, my king, I thank Thee for all thy mercies ! 1 
will henceforth devote myself to thy service. I am resolved to 
repent of my faults and atone for them. I will keep inviolate thy 



FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 137 

commandments. I will never murmur, but rather bless Thee as 
did holy Job, and say with thy servant, Though He slay me I will 
trust in Him, 



FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. God is not only my first principle, but He is also 
my last end. He has created me for his glory, and to render me 
eternally happy by a participation in his bliss. Every creature, 
unless he is infirm, restless, wicked, and vicious, tends to this end, 
and desires the consummation of the designs of God ; it is the term 
of all his movements and inclinations ; it is the height of his hap- 
piness and perfection. Ah, why do we not have recourse to God, 
who is our end ? Why do we forsake God, who is the centre of 
our repose and peace, to occupy ourselves in the vain and misera- 
ble pursuit of worldly advantages and honors % 

2d Point. Oh, my God, my first beginning, my last end ; Thou 
art the principle of my life, and the centre of my desires. Thy 
hands have formed me, and still preserve, sustain, and defend me. 
Oh, astonishing thing ! I am always in thy arms, and think not of 
Thee ; I am always in thy heart, and conceive no love for Thee ; 
Thy creatures serve me, and I am averse to serving Thee ! They 
sacrifice their will to mine, and I refuse to sacrifice myself to thine ! 

3d Point. Thou hast created me for thyself, and I think of 
nothing but of living for myself; Thou hast died for me, and I 
do not wish to live for Thee ; Thou hast promised me eternal 
treasures, and I sigh not after them ; Thou dost threaten me with 
eternal loss, and I am not afraid. Hitherto, I have alwavs been 
absorbed in myself; I have referred all things to myself; I have 
centred all things in myself; I have sought all things for myself; 
I have been satisfied in myself 

Oh my God, henceforth, I will be all to Thee; I will serve no 
other master than Thee ; I will seek my repose only in Thee ; I 
wil) labor onlv for Thee. Is not the honor of servino; Thee enouo;h, 

«/ 7 

without the hope of heaven or the fear of hell % I desire no greater 
recompense, no higher joy, than to love and serve Thee. Heaven 
is too small for those who love Thee ; hell is too little for those 
who despise Thee. These thoughts touch me, and are most agree- 
able to me. I am altogether God's. I am from God, I am in 



138 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

God, I am for God. From God, as from my principle ; in God, 
as in my centre ; for God, as for my last end. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Because the Lord your God, He is the God of gods, and the 
Lord of lords ; a great God and mighty, and terrible, who ac- 
cepteth no person, nor taketh bribes." Deuteronomy^ x. 

''^The Son honoreth the father, and the servant his master. If, 
then, I be a father, where is my honor ; and if I be a master, 
where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts'?" Malachias, i. 

'' Shall not my soul be subject *to the Lord, for from Him is 
my salvation." Fsalm Ixi. 

" Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof?" 
1 Corinthians^ ix. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

" At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitude, say- 
ing : the Kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good 
seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came 
and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And 
when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then 
appeared also the cockle. Then the servants of the good man 
of the house came and said to him : Sir, didst thou not sow good 
seed in thy field % from whence, then, hath it cockle 1 And he said, 
to them : An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to 
him : Wilt thou that we go and gather it up % And he said : No, 
lest while you gather up the cockle you root up the wheat also 
together with it. . Let both grow until the harvest, and in time 
of the harvest I will say to the reapers : Gather up first the cockle, 
and bind it in bundles to burn, but gather the wheat into my barn." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. God has sown good grain in the field of his Church, 
and many graces in your heart. Behold them in the divine truths 
which you receive; in the inspirations which enlighten you; in 
the interior touches you feel; in the good actions you witness; 
in the holy examples you have ; in the pious discourses you hear ; 
in the communions you make. Oh, what more excellent grain 
than the body of Jesus Christ ! How often has He entered into 



FIFTH SITNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 139 

your heart? What fruit has He produced there? Where are 
your virtues ? Where are your good works ? Is it an insignifi- 
cant sin to prevent this divine seed from bringing forth and pro- 
duc'incr fruit? 

Wlience come these dissensions, which choke and destroy the 
good grain that God has planted in your soul ? Whence come 
these errors and evil thoughts which infect your spirit % whence 
these badly regulated emotions which corrupt your heart ? Is it 
that you repose in sloth, and do not watch over yourself? Is it 
not because you allow your senses too much freedom, and do not 
guard well the gates of your *eyes and ears ? Is it not that you 
frequent bad company ; that you read dangerous books ; that 
you take no heed of little sins ; that you have abandoned the 
holy exercise of prayer and mortification ? 

2d Point. The enemy has sown the tares. Good precedes 
evil, truth error. The tares are not sown until after the good 
grain is planted. Virtue and truth come from God, evil and error 
from' the devil. The hearts of our first parents were as a beauti- 
ful field in which God had sown all kinds of holy truths and ce- 
lestial virtues. SPhe enemy of God was unlooked for and unex- 
pected by them, but he came and sowed the tares of error and 
sin among the perfect grain. From that time God scatters good 
seed in our souls, w^hich is corrupted and destroyed by the tempt 
ations which the devil sows in our hearts and our souls. And, 
notwithstanding this, we guard not our hearts, but sleep, wdiile he 
enters and busies himself with effecting our ruin. 

Good men are like good grain in the field of the Church, and 
the wicked resemble the tares. The wicked have been mixed 
with the good, from the beginning of the world, and God will not 
separate them. Why ? Because he wishes to exercise the pa- 
tience of good men, and prevent their being corrupted by too 
easy and voluptuous a life ; to refine their virtue, to augment 
their merit, and compel them to have recourse to Him through 
prayer, and place all their confidence in Him. It is his design 
for them to afford an example to the wicked, in this life, and be- 
come their witnesses and. judges in the life to come. It is to ar^ 
rest the anger of God, which would destroy cities and provinces, 
if therein were not found some who served him in spirit and in 
truth. It is in order to make a bright manifestation of his mercy 
tha4i He preserves the good amidst the wicked, without their re 
ceiving loss or injury ; and who often tolerates an infinite num- 
ber of sinners on earth, in qonsidei'Ution of a small number of the 
righteous who liva among them. Are you good grain, sow^n by 



140 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

God, which ^vill at last be gathered mto heaven ? or are you one 
of those evil seed, scattered by the devil, which wdll be bound 
and east into hell ? 

3d Point. Notw^ithstanding the world is composed of bad as 
w^ell as good men, and that the bad serve as a means for the sanc- 
tification of the good, it is equally true, that the good cease to de- 
serve the name of servants of God, when they take pleasure in 
the company of the wicked. It is impossible to live w^ithout 
them ; but it is possible not to imitate their vices, or live as they 
do. They are only satisfied in our company w-hen our lives and 
sentiments correspond with their *own. If you unite yourself 
with them in time, you will find yourself at the end of time still 
united w ith them as clods of earth to the tares, and will be cast 
with them into hell, to burn there forever. 

O God, my Father, how shall I exhibit my gratitude to Thee, 
for all those graces Thou hast bestowed on me since I came into 
the world ? How much good grain hast Thou not sow^n in my 
heart, and, alas, no fruit has yet appeared ! It is covered and 
choked with thorns; wicked thoughts possess it ; disorderly emo- 
tions agitate it. Ah ! when shall it be that Thou wilt uproot the 
tares 1 Is this not yet expedient ? is there danger of upropting 
the good with the evil 1 This grievous mingling is bitter ; but it 
Keeps you in fear and humility. The desire of too zealously cor- 
recting innocent defects, very often prevents the growth of truth ; 
at least it is apt to destroy the good grain, which is the grace of 
God, and prevent its producing fruits unto eternal life. Oh, 
Christian soul ! that you who have so many defects should be 
proud and arrogant, instead of being patient and humble ! En- 
deavor to correct them, and believe, that God and his angels will 
separate the tares from the wheat, w^hen your faith and good 
works are perfected according to his good pleasure. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The seed is the word of God." Luke, viii. 

" You have sowed much and brought in little. He that hath 
earned wages put them into a sack with holes in it." Aggeus^ i. 

" What ! could you not watch one hour with me? Watch ye, 
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit, indeed, 
is willing, but the flesh is weak." St. Matt, xxvi. 



FIFTH MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 141 

FIFTH MONDAY x\FTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE NECESSITY OF FORSAKING EVIL COMPANY. 

1st Point. Good grain cannot be separated from the tares, 
but you can, and you ought, to abandon the society of bad com- 
panions. You will, ere long, resemble those with whom you fre- 
quently associate ; if they are vicious, you have much reason to 
fear that you, too, are depraved, or will soon become so. One 
frequents the company of those whom he admires, and wishes to 
resemble, and of those for whom he entertains an affection ; 
hence, then, if you fmd your companions and pleasures amongst 
the wicked, you are yourself wicked, or in the way of soon be- 
ing so. 

2d Point. Good example is beneficial to all men ; bad example 
is pernicious to all men. Ignorance of evil, and chastity, are the 
two ramparts of innocence. One remains ignorant of many sins, 
if he never sees them committed ; one has a horror of those sins 
which he has never seen practised. Could you sit dowm and eat 
with a man who was afflicted with tlie plague? There is less 
danger to be apprehended from a loathsome infection, than from 
frequenting the society of a scandalous person. But are you not 
one yourself? Do you not give bad example to your fellow be- 
ings ? Are you not as insensible to the diseases of your ow^n soul 
as a leper is to that of his body ? 

3d Point. Example sustains and gives license to sin ; it renders 
it honorable, just, easy, and necessary. One is ashamed of inno- 
cence, among the guilty ; of chastity, among the impure. One 
blushes not at sin, provided it is clothed with the example and 
authority of the great, and sanctioned by custom. Examine 
yourself Are you not assisting, by your example, to diffuse 
pestilence in the w'orld ? do you not encourage iniquity ? do you 
not teach evil lessons to your children and servants ? do you not 
give license to sin by your scandals ? 

It is in vain to hope for the approval of God, if you persist in 
yonr intercourse with the wicked. One does not become un- 
healthy by associating with those who are well, but contracts 
disease frequenting the haunts and company of those who are ill. 
Evil is contagious, and is more easily communicated than good: 
the heart is evil, because it is corrupt from the beginning. Man 
imitates that which he sees done ; he desires that which he is for- 



142 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

bidden to touch ; he seeks, with more avidity, the knowledge of 
good and evil, than all the other fruits of this terrestrial paradise. 
Your health will continue unimpaired if you do not approach the 
diseased ; you will continue innocent, if you avoid the society of 
the guilty. One desires to please those whom he loves, and fre- 
quent the society of those who give him pleasure. You will 
never please the wicked, unless you are as wicked as they are ; 
^'^ I cannot^'' says St. Paul, " 6e a servant of Jesus Christy if I still 
wish to please meny Oh, what opinion can we have of those who 
wish to gain the favor, and please the enemies of Jesus Christ ! 



riPTH TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Example is the cause of salvation, or eternal loss, 
to men. If you love the paths of danger you will perish therein. 
You imagine and say that it does you no harm to associate with 
the wicked and partake of their pleasures, that you are still one 
of the sheep of Christ's fold, although you live among w^olves ! 
Is not this a great and scandalous evil 1 Can one love and seek, 
without sinning, the proximate occasions of sini 'Can one live 
with persons who are sick with the plague, without becoming in- 
fected ? You are lost, if you have ceased to fear eternal loss ; if 
the diseased state of your soul does not alarm you, then are you 
spiritually dead. 

2d Point. Example is a bad master ; it teaches evil to those 
w^ho w^ere before ignorant of it ; it entices those to commit it 
w^ho had always feared it ; it enchants those who witness it, it 
entangles those who pursue it. One learns evil in seeing it com- 
mitted, and will begin to practice it, after learning it. Occasion 
engages them, bad company persuades them, temptation urges 
them, inclination entangles them, until the fear of sin is lost in 
the act of sinning ; passion increases, grace diminishes, chastity is 
destroyed, ruinous habits are formed, the will becomes- hardened, 
the spirit blind, and they fall into indifference and impenitence. 
Behold the fruits of bad example ! behold the progress and the 
term of iniquity ! 

3d Point. If your eye scandalize you, pluck it out. Christian 
soul ; if your hand or your foot scandalize you, cut it off. That 
is to say, whatever pain or mortification it may cost you to sepa- 



THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 143 

rate yourself from evil companions, who cause you to offend God, 
you should esteem it more dear and v^alaable than your eyes, 
more useful than your hands, more necessary than your feet. 
Do not attach yourselves to those whom vou cannot imitate ; do 
not imitate those whom you cannot love ; do not endeavor to 
please those who displease God ; fly from those who stand afar 
off from God ; fear not to offend those who do not fear to offend 
God; renounce the friendship of those who renounce that of 
God. 

Presum.e not on the strength of your will. You have grace 
given you to fly the 'occasions of sin ; you have grace to forsake 
them when you are engaged therein. " But will it continue with 
you, to enable you to remain there, without sinning, when God 
commands you to abandon them 1 Is it not the height of pre- 
sumption, to promise yourself the grace of God, in the occasions 
of sin, when He positively forbids your going therein 1 So far 
from preserving grace, you will be deprived of it, and in your 
weakness you shall fall uiider the pov>^er of your strong adver- 
sary, who on these occasions spreads his snares, tyrannizes, and 
fights with advantage. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• He that loveth danger shall perish in it." Eccles, iii. 

" Be not a friend to an angry man ; and do not walk with a 
furious man, lest, perhaps, thou learn his ways, and take scandal 
to thy soul." Provei'hs^ xxii. 

"And if thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it* out, and 
cast it from thee." St, Matt. v. 

" And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus, 
Christ, that you withdraw yourself from every brother who walk- 
eth disorderly." 2 Tkessalonians, iii. 

" Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch noth- 
ing of theirs lest you be involved in their sins." Numbers'^ xvi. 



. FIFTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE PAINS 05^ HELL. 

1st Point. The wicked are bound to each other, as the roots 
of tares are united to the clods of earth in which they grow, and 
at the last day they \^ ill be cast together into the unquenchable 



144: DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

(ire of hell. What is hell ? It is the prison of the justice of God ; 
it is the arsenal of his vengeance; it is the term of his anger and 
wrath ; it is the centre of all evils and the pi*imal essence of 
death, which has no end ; it is the kingdom of Lucifer ; it is a 
dungeon crowded with furies, despairing souls, and the most in- 
famous criminals ; it is a region of tears, a place of torments, a 
world of maledictions, an exile from all consolation, a loss with- 
out resource, a toil without rest, a grief without end, an evil with- 
out remedy ! 

2d Point. Souls in hell are eternally separated from God, their 
sovereign good ; they are accursed and hated by Him ; they hate 
God, and He despises them. His hatred for them is infinite, irre- 
concilable, and eternal. One can appease the anger of God, in this 
life, by penance ; but never, in hell. 

There is in heaven all that the soul can desire ; there is in hell 
all that it fears and hates. Pleasure in heaven shall be pure and 
unmixed with grief; grief shall be pure in hell unmixed with 
pleasure. In heaven, the desires of the saints are fully satisfied ; 
in hell, the desires of the damned are never satisfied. 

3d Point. What does one suffer in hell ? The body will be 
tormented by heat and cold, by fire and ice ; but the eye hath 
never seen, nor can the mind conceive the intensity of that heat, 
or the degree of that cold. He shall be tormented in all his senses ; 
his eyes, by the sight of devils ; his hearing, by the terrific cries 
of the damned ; his smell, by the insupportable stench from the 
numberless carcasses imprisoned in this common sewer ; his taste, 
by raging hunger and thirst ; his feelings, by the extreme heat of 
a fire which shall penetrate his body, and scorch his marrow, and 
by all kinds of sickness accompanied by the most poignant griefs. 
The soul shall be tormented in its spirit, will, imagination, de- 
sires, memory, and all its powers, and be surrounded only by 
frightful and afflicting objects ; while, above all, the pain of loss 
shall be an evil as infinite as God is good. 

Oh strange revolution ! oh wonderful change ! The wicked fly 
from God on earth, and He pursues them with his tender mercies. 
But they shall seek for God in hell, and never find Him ; or if 
they find Him, they find an angry God, and that constitutes the 
pain of loss. They will fly from the face of an offended God with- 
out the power to love or appease Him. It may be said that his 
presence fills heaven with bliss, and hell with anguish; for the 
saints in heaven are happy because they see and enjoy God, and 
the damned are miserable in hell because they behold a God all 
powerful, who will neither succor or love them. 



FIFTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 145 

Oh eternity, thou art long ! oh eternity, thou art frightful and 
terrible ! Oh never^ which shall never end ! Oh always, which will 
last forever 1 Oh present, which is forever linked with the past ! 
oh past, which is forever linked to the present ! Oh eternity ! 
shall we never comprehend thee ? oh eternity ! shall we never 
know thee ? Oh, if we always thought of eternity we should never 
sin ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. ^ 

" A land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, 
and no order, but everlasting horror dwelle^h." Joh^ x. 

" And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior 
darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." St, 
Matt. 25. 

" Who shall suffer eternal pains in destruction, from the face 
of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." 2 Thessalo- 
nians, i. 

" Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire, in the time of thy 
anger : the Lord shall trouble them in his wrath, and fire shall 
devour them." Psalm xx. 



FIFTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE TWO ETERNITIES, HEAVEN AND HELL. 

1st Point. Always living, and never dying; always dying, 
without the power of living ; possessing all, and desiring nothing ; 
desiring every thing, and possessing nothing ; resting eternally, 
without toil or labor; toiling forever, and never resting; always 
rejoicing, and never sad ; always sad, and never rejoicing ; lovinor 
always, without the power to hate ; hating always, without the 
power to love. Behold the reward of the good ! behold the pun- 
ishment of the wicked 1 

2d Point. Of these two eternities choose the "one which will 
be the most advantageous to you. One or the other inevitably 
awaits you. You will find afler death the realization of that which 
you have chosen in life. If you live well, you will find beyond 
the grave an eternity of perfect bliss ; if you live wickedly, you 
will find after death an eternity of utter and hopeless misery. 
Measure an eternity with a moment of time ; an eternity of rap- 
7 



146 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ture with a moment of grief; an eternity of anguish with a mo- 
ment of pleasure ! 

3d Point. Oh, heaveu is ineffably lovely ! oh, hell is unuttera- 
bly horrible ! This world is deceitful : man is blind. Oh, time is 
short ; eternity is without end. Nothing is long, which at last 
ends ; nothing is short, which never ends. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Oh that they would be wise and-v^ould understand, and would 
provide for their last end." Deut xxxii. 

" Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished." 
SL Mark, ix. 

" Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which was 
prepared for the devil and his angels." SL Matt, xxv. 



FIFTH FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE HASTY DESIRES OF THE SOUL. 

1st Point. The servants mentioned in the gospel were anxious 
to separate the tares from the wheat. Their desire was good in 
itself, but too hasty and forward. We desire many things because 
we are poor, or because we are rich. If we are poor, we desire to 
be raised from our poverty ; if we are rich, we desire to scatter 
our substance, and disencumber ourselves of abundance. The in- 
fant, and she who gives it suck, have a mutual desire, one to 
receive, the other to give. The desire, then, is good, but the eager- 
ness is of no account. It troubles and disturbs the peace of the 
soul ; it confounds its thoughts ; it quickens its emotions ; it dis- 
concerts its actions ; it corrupts its will ; it destroys grace ; it 
prevents the co-operation of God, and proves that we are influ- 
enced by nature alone. 

2d Point. My soul, are you contented? Do you desire nothing 
un earth'? Does not God satisfy you? Is it not He who is' your 
wisdom, your strength, your sanctity, your peace, your glory, 
your sovereign happiness ? When is it that you have practised 
Christian virtue without Him ? When is it that you have worked 
evil when you possessed Him ? 

3d Point. Your desires are your tyrants. It is your inquietude 
and hastiness which render you miserable ; which tear your heart, 



FIFTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 14 

and give it no rest. You will find happiness in desiring nothing. 
You will be satisfied in your desires only when you possess God. 
What is it that you have needed which He has not bestowed freely 
upon you? Desire is a mark of poverty. He who is filled with 
God desires nothing more ; and he who desires any thing inordi- 
nately shows that he is not filled with God. 



FIFTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. I have had dangerous thoughts ; I have wished too 
eagerly to separate the tares from my soul : the desire is good, 
but all the anxiety is worthless. Why do you desire to do so 
much? It is not the good pleasure of God that you seek, but 
your own ! Can you accomplish any thing without grace ? Can 
you obtain it without confidence in Him ? Is it hoping in God to 
be always filled with anxiety ? Do all that you can, and suffer 
those things which you cannot perform. A too eager desire for 
perfection sows tares, instead of rooting them up ; chokes the good 
grain, instead of causing it to grow and produce fruit. One often 
plucks up the good grain in their hasty endeavors to separate it 
from the tares. 

2d Point. My God, I am miserable ! My desires torment me. 
I wish for that which I have not, and desire not that which I have. 
The pangs of hell seem to encompass me. Why desire so many 
earthly goods, when the possession of them will only afford me a 
delusive pleasure, and the loss of them genuine sorrow? I can- 
''not acquire them without pain ; I cannot preserve theni without 
much anxious care; I cannot lose them without disappointment 
and affliction. Why do I trouble and disquiet myself about the 
acquisition of spiritual goods, which come from God, and w^hich 
impart to humble souls patience and tranquillity ? It is necessary 
to desire perfection with all your heart, but it must be without 
disturbing your peace ; without leaning on your own strength ; 
without perplexing your spirit; without exciting your passions; 
in a word, without eagerness, and without all these efforts of an 
indiscreet and impetuous nature. 

3d Point. Oh my God ! henceforth, without Thee, all abundance 
is only poverty ; all sweetness is only bitterness. What is there 



148 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ill heaven or on earth which can satisfy me without Thee? Oif 
what account will it be, whether I am rich or poor, great or little, 

rerfect or imperfect, provided Thou art satisfied with me? Can 
advance without thy grace? Why need I, then, to trouble and 
vex myself, as if the result of my prayers depended on myself? 
Alas ! Thou hast been in me, and I have sought Thee far hence ; 
Thou hast invited me to rest, and I chose anxiety and fatigue ! 
Martha! Martha ! thou art troubled about many things ; and only 
one thing is necessary, Mary has chosen the better part; and 
enjoys my presence in silence and peace. Come, rest with her, 
troubled soul, and leave without the tumult and anxiety of thy 
desires. Oh, surely that heart is most avaricious which even God, 
caimot satisfv ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Covetousness is the root of all evils ; w^hich some desiring, 
have erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in many 
sorrows." 1 Timothy^ vi. 

"They that fear the Lord, will have patience even until his 
visitation." Ecdes, ii. 

" The desire of the wicked shall perish." Psalm cxi. 

" Desires kill the slothful." Proverbs^ xxi. 

" Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many 
things : but one thing is necessary." Luke^ x. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

The Gospel. Matt xiii. 81-85. 

" At that time, Jesus spoke to the multitude this parable : The 
kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a 
man took and sowed in his field : which is indeed the least of all 
seeds : but w^hen it is f2;rown up, it is greater than any herbs, and 
becometh a tree ; so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in 
the branches thereof. Another parable He spoke to them : The 
kinfTdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and 
hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened. All 
these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes : and with- 
out parables He did not speak them. That the word might be 
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying : I will open 
my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the founda- 
tion of the world." 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 149 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. A grain of mustard is the smallest of all seeds, 
notwithstanding which it springs up from th^e earth, grows in 
strength and fruitfulness, until it becomes a tree. Jesus may be 
compared to this little seed in his incarnation, his nativity, and 
his passion. There is nothing meaner, or more insignificant, in 
the eyes of the world than his cross ; but since it was planted on 
Calvary, it has become a great and wondrous tree, whose branches 
spread to the extremities of the earth. The birds of heaven rest 
therein, and the people of all nations partake of its fruits. 

Men of the world commence their designs and undertakings 
w^ith great and brilliant displays, which end in nothingness. The 
impiaus lift themselves up, and seem to flourish like the cedars 
of Lioanus, but in a little while they pass away, and are no lon- 
ger seen ; but the works of God, which appear as of no account 
in their beginning, become marvellous and grand as they pro 
gress and manifest themselves. What was the Church in its 
origin ? It was a little grain, w^hich was despised and Jbrampled 
under foot by tyrants. What has prayer and faith made it 
since ? You are the least among men ; you are poor ; you are 
treated with contempt ; yon are afflicted ; you are misjudged ! 
Be patient, Christian soul : let God act. He called you out of 
nothingness, and, if you confide and hope in Him, He will work 
great things for you, and deliver you. It is necessary for the 
grain to be bruised in the earth, ere it can flourish and bring forth 
fruit. 

2d Point. Jesus in the holy eucharist is as a little seed, hidden 
from the eyes of men, imperceptible to the senses, despised by 
unbelievers, and trampled under foot by the wricked ; but when 
He is received into a heart, which, like earth well prepared for 
planting, has been made ready for his reception by humility and 
penance. He beoomes a great tree, which produces the fruits of 
eternal life, and which nourishes every power of the soul. The 
birds of heaven, by w^hich we understand those spiritual souls 
who are detached from earthlv thino-s, rest and delio-ht themselves 
in the branches of this tree of paradise. Oh, my soul ! if you are 
not pure enough to shake ofl* the entanglements and ft'ttcrs of 
earth, as these holy ones have done, in order to rest in the 
branches of this wonderful and beautiful tree, come and repose 



150 . ' DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

under the shadow thereof; come, gather, and partake of its 
fruits. * 

oD Point. Jesus Christ in the holy eucharist is a sacred leaven. 
The woman of the gospel represents the Blessed Virgin and the 
holy Church ; the three measures of flour signify will, memory, 
and understanding — wisdom, courage, and goodness. Alas ! my 
heart is dejected and cast down, when I do not receive the sacred 
leaven of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in holy communion ; 
my soul is heavy ; my wisdom merely human ; my understanding 
is disturbed by vain illusions; darkness gathers about me; my 
courage fails ; my piety grows lukewarm and languishing ; my 
spirit is without appetite for heavenly things ; it is like bread that 
is unleavened ; it is thick and heavy, and cannot rise above the 
earth. But after having communicated, and received Jesus into 
my heart, I am changed ; my nature becomes spiritual ; the dark- 
ness is dispersed ; my spirit knows the Lord, and, adoring, gives 
Him thanks for the fraction of heavenly bread. My heart glows 
and burns with the fire of divine love ! My memory is with 
drawn from all the cares of earth ; from being lukewarm, 1 am 
filled with zeal ; I am no longer timid and fearful, but strong in 
courage; I am no longer sad, but joyful; I am no longer sick, I 
am healed ; I sing, I run, I fly ! I exclaim with the divine spouse : 
" Jiy well beloved has given- me honeycomb to eat.'"' Oh, my God! 
Thou hast blessed me with an unspeakable favor ; ^'' I will go into 
the store-room^ ivhere Thou keepesi thy wines, and inebriate myself 
with its delights^ Come, oh come, my children, and eat the 
bread that I have prepared for you ; drink the wine that I have 
drawn from my own veins, and you shall neither hunger nor thirst. 

One does not know the properties of a grain of mustard until 
it is bruised and eaten. Good men here -below are like little 
grains of seed. They are regarded as contemptible and mean ; 
they are plundered, beaten and trampled on by the wicked ; but 
it is only in the gloom of affliction, and amidst stern trials, that 
their righteousness and love for God shines with a clear and glo- 
rious light, like stars at midnight. Their example is also a leaven 
which communicates its virtues to all those associated with them, 
by inciting them to high and holy aims ; by imparting to them a 
taste for devotion; by directing their thoughts from earth to 
heaven, and inspiring them with sentiments of true holiness. 
Alas! I am the leaven of sin and malice, corrupting all who 
come under my influence, inspiring them with a love for the 
world instead of love for God ; with vanity instead of humility ; 
with an undue esteem for the thin^^s of time instead of those of 



SIXTH MONDAY AFIER EPIPHANY. 151 

eternity. Deliver me, oh my God, deliver me ; cast out the bad 
leaven that corrupts my soul, and bestow on me the precious 
leaven of thy grace, that I may rise above all earthly considera- 
tions, and find delight only in Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and 
Sadducees." >S'^. Matt. xvi. 

"Purge out* the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as 
you are unleavened." 1 Corinthians^ v. * 

" Therefore, let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the 
leaven of malice and ^\dckedness, but with the unleavened bread 
of sincerity and truth." Ibid, 

Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling 
into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit." St. John^ xii. 



SIXTH MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON FIDELITY IN LITTLE THINGS. 

1st Point. Salvation depends on faith, and on grace, which the 
Son of God has compared to the least of all seeds ; by which it 
appears that it depends on those things which seem little, and of 
no account in the eyes of the world. Tlie greatest rivers flow 
from small and hidden springs ; the largest fires are kindled by lit- 
tle sparks ; the most magnificent trees spring from small acorns ; 
the most dangerous falls are the result of little sins ; the greatest 
disorders arise from a little infidelity. 

2d Point. The great always depend on that which is little for 
a beginning ; the little leads to that which is great and glorious. 
He who loves another, fears to offend or grieve him, and neglects 
nothing that he thinks will afford pleasure and gratification to 
the object of his friendship. Great actions attract the attention 
and admiration of men; little actions, which men consider be 
neath their consideration or notice, gain the approval and love of 
God. Men only regard exterior appearances; God looks into 
the heart. Every thing is great in his sight which proceeds from 
love and a desire for his glory. Love is faithful in little things, 
which are true tests of its purity, strength, and sincerity. 



152 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

3d Point. A contempt for little things leads us to despise and 
neglect those which are great. He who fears venial sins will not 
commit those which are mortal. We gain heaven by avoiding 
little sins ; we lose it by committing them, because they lead to 
those which bring death to the soul. He who is faithless in Ut- 
ile things ivill not he faithful in those which are greater. These 
are the words of Jesus Christ, and they inspire us with dread 
and amazement. He who is faithful over that which is little^ ivill 
he faithful over that which is great. These are also the words of 
Jesus Christ, and they fill us with sweetness and consolation. 

Are you among the first ? Are you among the latter ? Do you 
regard little things ? Do you fear venial sins ? Do you despise 
little rules? Are you faithful to all the inspirations of grace, 
how little soever they appear ? Whence come these great sins 
into which you fall, if you have hated and avoided those which 
are little ? Whence arises this general disorder and wandering 
of the senses, if you have mortified yourself in the little irregu- 
larities of nature? How can you expect to accomplish that 
which is great for God's honor and glory, if you refuse to obey 
Him in little things 1 Oh my God, as I cannot render Thee any 
great service, I ofter Thee that which is little ; since I cannot do 
those acts which are great and heroic, I will at least do those which 
are easy to perform. Let us do all that we can, and that which 
we cannot do of ourselves God will do for us, 

words of scripture. 

" A wise man will fear in every thing." Eccles. xviii. 

'• Give to the Most High, according to what He hath given to 
thee ; and with a good eye do according to the ability of thy 
hands." Eccles, xxxv. 

" He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in 
that which is greater ; and he that is unjust in that which is little, 
is unjust also in that which is greater." St, Luhe^ xvi. 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 

1st Point. A small seed produces a large and perfect tree. It , 
is thus we ought to grow in grace, and steadily advance towards 
perfection. A child should imitate the vii'tues of his fither, a pic- 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 153 

tiire should resemble its original, an effect its cause, a disciple his 
master, a soldier his captain. " Be perfect^ as my Father in heav- 
en is perfect^'' says the Man-God ; " attend to my toords^ and foU 
loiv the example of my lifeP He who does not advance in the 
school of Jesus Christ, does not deserve to be numbered among 
his disciples. 

2d Point. A tree does not of necessity decrease because it does 
not increase. But in the ways of righteousness, if we do not ad- 
vance we retrograde ; if we do not amend we fall into greater 
evils ; if we do not gain we lose ; if we do not enrich we impov- 
erish ourselves. One cannot remain inactive on the waves of a 
deep river ; he must struggle or drown ; he must either support 
himself on the surface, by his own efforts and strength, or go 
down and perish. If you say, Christian soul, that you have done 
enough, and it is no longer necessary for you to toil through hu- 
miliations and mortifications towards perfection, then, indeed, it is 
to be feared that you are in great peril. 

3d Point. The perfection of God is his own : He possesses it 
without effort, and retains it without toiling for it. The angels 
acquired theirs with but little labor ; but man can only arrive at 
his by many and laborious works. Never will you be truly hap- 
py, unless you take courage and do violence to yourself Every 
thing is wanting in him who thinks he needs nothing, 

Grace does not encourage or cherish sloth. Love is a celestial 
quality which is not pleased with sterility; it is a fire which is 
never satisfied ; it burns on continuously, or extinguishes itself; it 
increases or diminishes. Barrenness in religion is a crime. It is 
doing an evil for which there is no remedy. The tree that bore 
no fruit was cut down and cast into the fire ; the talent was taken 
from him who did not pjjpfit by its possession. O my God, I am 
terrified when I reflect on the time which I have lost. I have, 
like a prodigal, wasted the wealth of thy graces. I have not in- 
creased the treasure Thou hast bestowed on me ; I have not ad- 
vanced in holiness ; all the world goes forward, and I alone stand 
still ; all seek perfection, and I alone remain contented with an in- 
numerable multitude of imperfections, which retard my progress. 

The artisan makes every effort to learn his trade, and I am in- 
different about acquiring a knowledge of mine. The scholar de- 
votes his time to study, and becomes learned, and I continue 
slothful and ignorant in the ways of heavenly science. Alas, 
my Lord ! I fear Thou wilt take from me the talent I have, and 
cause me to be cast into the fire as a useless servant. How much 
of the way have I still to go over % Will not the night overtake 



154 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

me 1 It is necessary to run, and I do not even walk. Oh, I see 
that it is time for me to work out my salvation :^I will begin 
without delay, and will never cease until I finish the good work I 
have commenced. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Be ye, therefore, perfect, as also your heavenly Father is per- 
fect." St. Matt. V. 

" Know you not, that they that run in the race, all run indeed, 
but one receiveth the prize ? So run that you may obtain." 1 
Corinthians^ ix. 

" I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty : I so fight, not as "* 
one beating the air:, but I chastise my body, and bring it into 
subjection ; lest, perhaps, when I have preached to others I my- 
self should become a castaway." Ibid, 

" And I said : Now, have I begun : this is the change of the right 
hand of the Most High." Psalm Ixxvi. 



SIXTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON HUMILITY WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY THE SMALL GRAIN OF 

MUSTARD. 

. 1st Point. What art Thou, my God, and what am I? Thou 
art all, and I am nothing ; Thou hast all knowledge, and I am 
ignorant ; Thou canst do whatever Thou wilt, and I am incapable 
of performing any thing ; Thou art the source of all light, and I 
am only darkness; Thou art power, and I am. weakness; Thou 
art holiness, and I am wickedness ; Thou art the Holy of holies, the' 
King of kings ; I am the chief of sinners, the slave of slaves. 
With Thee, my God, I am wise and strong ; without Thee, I am 
blind and weak. 

2d Point. My soul, if you do not humble yourself, God will 
humble you. What have you that you do not receive from Him ? 
Could you retain and preserve that which you have unaided by 
Him 1 All your righteousness, without humility, will not save 
you. All the sins of your life, with humble repentence, will not 
damn you. Humility banishes evil from the nature of man, and 
causes him to find his true place at the foot of the cross. It drives 
out sm that charity may enter. Were you as wicked as Achab, 
and repented with the same humility that he did, God would have 



SIXTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 155 

mercy on you as He had on him. He resists the proiid^ and gives 
his grace to the humble ; He puts down the mighty from their seats, 
and exalts the weak ; He filleth the poor with good things, and the 
rich^ He sendeth empty aiuay, 

3d Point. The virtue of humility repairs the defects of charity. 
A penitent sinner is in safety and peace, if he is folded in the arms 
of humility. Oh my soul ! let us hide our treasures, lest vanity 
should enter and rob us of them ; let us abase ourselves that God 
may exalt us ; esteem those innocent defects which procure us 
confusion ; love those things which make us appear mean and ab- 
ject in the eyes of men ; suffer contempt with patience, and glor^ 
in the cross, which the scorn of the world provides for us ; love 
contempt, desire contempt ; love scorn, desire scorn. Behold the 
five degrees of the throne of humility ! 

To be good, and parade our righteousness before men, is a 
dangerous and perilous thing ; but to wear the garb of religion to 
conceal wickedness is a vicious and scandalous act of hypocrisy. 
To be truly and sincerely pious, without ostentation, is the sign 
of an humble soul who is in the w^ay of perfection. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. . 

" Come to me, all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will 
refresh you. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because 
I am meek and lowly of heart : and you shall find rest to your 
souls." St. Matt. xi. 

" Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled ; and he 
that humbleth himself shall be exalted." aS'^. Luke, xiv. 

" If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and 
the servant of all." St. Mark, ix. 

" God hath abolished the memory of the proud, and hath pre- 
served the memory of them that are humble in mind." JEccles, x. 



SIXTH THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON THE EFFECTS OF HUMILITY. 

1st Point. The first fundamental principle of humility is per- 
fect submission to God, and the subjection to Him of our under- 
standing and will. Our understanding, by believing all that He 
declares ; our will, by doing whatsoever He commands ; our un- 
derstanding, by believing that which we cannot comprehend ; our 



156 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. ' . 

will, by doing those things which are not agreeable to nature ; 
our understanding, by obeying the precepts of faith; our will, by 
obeying his laws. "The first duty of righteousness," says St. 
Thomas, " is to submit the sou] and mind to God." Why is it, 
then, that I am. not willing to believe, because I cannot compre- 
hend those mysteries which faith teaches ? Be submissive to God. 
Humiliate yourself under the powerful hand of God. Can you re- 
fuse to do so, knowing that on God your salvation depends ? 

2d Point. The second is, not to prefer ourselves above others; 
for the apostle tells us to hold every one in respect, and consider 
all men our superiors. It is natural, and not surprising, that a 
man should submit himself to one who is lawfully his superior ; 
but it is true humility alone which can lead one to submit to his 
inferiors. What reasons can you give for endeavoring to exalt 
yourself? Is there any one living, more impotent, more wicked, 
more unfaithful than y ourself ? Take to heart this beautiful lesson 
of St. Bernard. ''There is no danger," says the saint, " in abasing 
yourself lower than you are, or in esteeming yourself less than 
you are already ; but it is a great and dangerous evil to exalt 
yourself above your true level, and prefer yourself, in your 
thoughts, to one who is your superior or equal. Be careful, oh 
man, and do not prefer yourself to either your superiors, your 
equals, or your inferiors. Plow know you but that he whom 
you now despise will not be one day better than you, or that he 
is not, even now, in greater favor with God ? The Son of God 
has not commanded you to seek the highest, the middle, or next 
to the lowest seat at the feast, but He directs you to choose the 
very lowest." 

3d Point. The third is to abase one's self in spirit as much as 
one is exalted by^ external circumstances. It is a rule which is ob- 
served by nature and art in all their designs. The higher a tree 
lifts its branches in the air the deeper it strikes its roots into the 
earth. Workmen dig the foundation of a house in proportion to 
the height they design raising it. It is thus that God operates in 
the soul by grace ; and on him whom He wishes to elevate to 
sanctity, He bestows the good foundations of profound humility. 
The greater -you are the more need exists for you to humiliate 
yourself in all things. '' Whosoever will he first among you., shall 
be the servant of al^"^ says the Man-God. ''For the Son of man, 
also, is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give 
his life for the redemption of manyy And yet you, who are the 
least among men, wish to be served ; you wish to be obeyed. An 
ar^.hangel only con<'.e"'ved the sin of pride, and he was cast forth 



SIXTH FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 157 

with the velocity of lightning from heaven ! If you exalt your- 
self with him, you shall fall with him into hell."* 



SIXTH FRIDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



ON OTHER EFFECTS OF HUMILITY. 

1st Point. The fourth effect of humility is, to render a soul 
agreeable to God, and to fill it with his grace. " There is scarce- 
ly a page in Holy Writ where we may not read," says St. Au- 
gustine, " that God resists the proud and gives his grace to the 
huml3le." Water remains not on the mountain, but runs down 
into the vallev, which it enriches and fertilizes. God is an infinite 
source of good, which seeks to flow out and impart its blessings 
to men ; but it is necessary for a heart to be open ere it will 
enter. " On- whom^^'' says He, " shall I cast my eye^ if not on the 
poor^ who have an humble and meek spirit and who tremble at my 
word?''- . God has always regarded the prayers of the humble, 
and has never despised them. ''•He hath put down the mighty 
from their seat, and hath exalted the humbled ''''He hath regard- 
^(f," says the Holy Virgin, " the humility of his handmaid ; for 
behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed^ 
We shall find true happiness in humility. If we abase ourselves 
we shall be exalted. 

2d Point. The fifth effect of humility is to render a soul tran- 
quil and contented. All vexations and distractions arise from 
pride. One beholds with pain the elevation of others ; one en- 
vies the prosperity of another; one desires to be considered and 
esteemed in the world ; one repines and frets when he does not 
possess those natural advantages which would make him of ac- 
count, and cause him to be admired and distinguished among 
men ; one cannot endure the inconvenience and humiliations of 
poverty. Behold the cause of the misery of the proud. On the 
contrary the humble soul is always contented, because it loves its 
poverty. " Learn of me," says Jesus Christ, " because I am meek 
and humble of hearty and you shall find rest to your souls.'''' You 
may seek, but will never find peace or repose, except in humility. 

3d Point. Do you wish to be exalted ? Abase yourself, for he 
who lifts himself up shall be put down, and he who humbles him- 

♦ "Wards of Scripture" are to be found in the Meditation. 



158 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

self shall be exalted. If you wish to be iiiYited to take the first 
place at the feast, choose the last. Do you wish to be honored ? 
then despise ail honors ; do you wish to be great in heaven ? be 
little on earth ; do you wish to be rich in virtue? be poor in spir- 
it, and never cease to remember your miseries; do you wish to 
know whether you are humble ? then " Examine and see," says 
Cassian, '^ if vou do not contrive to have your own will, if vou 
have not concealed certain things from your superiors, if you have 
abandoned yourself entirely to the rules of holy obedience, if you 
are meek and patient, if you have injured any one, and if you suf- 
fer with patience and sweetness those injuries which have been in- 
flicted on you, if you are not singular in your opinions, if you do 
not seek to distinguish yourself above others, if you do not stray 
from the order of the community, if you are contented with what- 
ever they give you, if you love the meanest things in the house, 
if you do not speak either too loud or too low, if you have 
done nothing with pomp, if you esteem yourself the least of all, 
and as useless service, and unworthy, the good that you have 
done." O my God, what will become of m^ ? Without humili- 
ty I cannot be saved, and I have not even the shadow of this vir- 
tue. I am so infected with pride, that I almost despair of being 
able to acquire humility, no matter how great the efforts I may 
make. O Jesus, the most humble of the sons of men, bestow on 
me, as a free gift, that grace, which I cannot purchase by merit. 
I willingly resign all that Thou hast given me, if Thou wilt bestow 
on me humility of soul."* 



SIXTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

ON AN INTERIOR LIFE WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY A GRAIN OF 

MUSTARD. 

isT Point, ^e should offer to Qod an exterior and an interior 
worship, because we have a body and soul, and are members of 
the fold of Jesus Christ. In this, we make an exterior profession 
of faith ; but we should, also, w^ith unw^earied diligence, guard and 
cultivate all interior grace, because God is a spirit w^hom we 
ought to adore in spirit and in truth ; and grace imitates nature, 

* " Words of Scripture" are to be found in the Meditation. 



SIXTH SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 159 

which first creating the inner germ which contains the true life, 
before the exterior form is completed. And you, oh hypocritical 
soul ! conceal your evil nature, and under a vtil ^)f piety, hide a 
wicked and corrupt heart. 

2d Point. Good exterior actions are alike performed by the 
righteous and the wicked, by the true servants of God and hypo- 
crites ; and there is nothing to distinguish them, except the in- 
terior motives which actuate them. A lamp which contaiiis no 
oil is soon extinguished, and exterior virtue, which is not nourished 
by interior grace, cannot exist for any length of time. A good 
work ought to proceed from interior light, by which alone that 
which is good can be discovered ; from prudence, which examines 
the circumstances it reveals ; from grace, which enlightens the 
mind, touches the heart, and appeals to the will, which yields con- 
sent. Is not all this interior ? 

3d Point. True virtue cannot form an alliance with vice ; the 
exterior appearance of men is often deceptive, and cloaks, under a 
mask of virtue, a diabolical malice. It is not, then, in an exterior 
life that true righteousness consists^ -It is emphatically the duty 
of every Christian to keep the commandments of God, and work 
without ceasing for his salvation. Is not this interior ? If, in order 
to become perfect, it is only necessary to give alms freely, what 
will become of the poor who can give nothing 1 If it is only ne- 
cessary to perform corporal works of mercy, what will become 
of the sick who are unable to do any thing ? If it is only necessary 
to say long prayers and engage in frequent devotions, what will 
become of artisans, and many others who are constantly occupied 
w^ith the duties of their charge, or by the necessities of their state '? 
It is not, then, in an exterior life of piety that perfection consists, 
but in an interior one, though they often act in concert and can- 
not be separated from each other. 

Oh my God, these truths console and comfort me ! they con- 
vince me how truly Thou desirest my salvation. I believed, until 
now, that in order to be holy and perfect it was necessary to do 
many good works with pomp and expenditure, to be careful and 
attentive to all that pertains to exterior devotion, and to practice 
many austerities ; but it is not so. AVhat excuse have I, then, for 
not loving God ? Have I not a heart which was formed to love 
Him ? Cannot I desire to love Him, and perform all my actions 
with reference to his divine will and pleasure ? All the glory of 
the daughter of the Vuig comes from ivithin. It is true that she is 
arrayed in a robe of gold, embroidered with many flowers, but it 
is not the exterior splendor which makes her glorious, but the in- 



160 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

terior purity of holiness. God accepted the offerings of Abel be- 
cause He considered his hearty and found that it was filled with 
true devotion. Do not neglect the practices of exterior devotion 
and good works, but attend chiefly to the cultivation and perfec- 
tion of your interior life. Cherish profound and interior, pure 
and elevated intentions ; an ardent Jove for God, and a low es- 
teem for yourself Above all, do not form a large circle of ac- 
quaintances, which are a cause of incessant distraction, but animate 
all your actions with a devoted, religious, and sincere spirit. These 
are the means by which you may arrive at perfection. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" All the glory of the king's daughter is within." Psalm xliv. 

" The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a 
field." St. Matt. xiii. 

" And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad ; for they 
disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast." >S^/. 
Matt. vi. 

•^^ God is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in 
spirit and in mind." St, John., iv. 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. Matt. xx. 1-16. 

" At that time, Jesus spoke to his disciples this parable : The 
kingdom of heaven is like to a householder who went out early 
in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having 
agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his 
vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others 
standing in the market-place idle. And he said to them : Go ye 
also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just. 
And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth 
and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But about the eleventh 
hour he went out, and found others standing, and he saith to them : 
Why stand ye here all the clay idle? They say to him : Because 
no man hath hired us. He saith to them : Go ye also into my 
vineyard. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard 
said to his steWrird : Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, 
beginning from the last even to the first. When, therefore, they 
had come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every 



SEPTUAGE3IMA SUNDAY. 161 

man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that 
they should have received more ; and they also received every 
man a penny. And receiving it, they murmured agaiust the 
master of the house, saying : These last have worked but one 
hour, and thou hast made them equal to us that have borne the 
burden of the day and the heats. But he, answering, said to one 
of them : Friend, I do thee no wrong ; didst thou not agree with 
me for a penny 1 Take what is thine, and go thy way : I will 
also give to this last even as to thee. Or, is it not lawful for me 
to do what I will ? Is thy eye evil, because I am good ? So shall 
the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few 
cliosen." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The householder of the gospel signifies God, who 
has placed us in the world, not to rest, but to labor ; not to amass 
riches, but to work out our salvation. All the labors of this life, 
however long it may be, appear only like the toils of a single 
day after we have received our recompense. What can exceed 
the loving-kindness of God who calls us, invites us, and seeks us 
from morning until night ; that is to say, from the commencement 
of life to the end thereof He calls us by his inspirations, by his 
angels, by his word, by holy confessors, by pious books, by good 
examples, by prosperity, by adversity, and by afflictions. How 
often has He again received you after you have been careless and 
slothful in the affair of vour salvation : after you have betraved 
his interests^ and abandoned the work He has given you to do 1 
How often has He said to you : Go and work in my vineyard, 
and I will recompense you. 

2d Point. The fruit of this vineyard represents the passion of 
Jesus Christ, who was put under the pressure of sufferings that 
he might yield the precious and delicious wine of his blood. It is 
necessary to work in this vineyard by continual meditations oi^ 
his bitter sufferings ! This vine is the Holy Eucharist, through 
which we are united to Jesus Christ by communion, as a branch 
to the vine from which it draws its life, its substance and fruit. 
Hear what our Lord says: '' I am the true vine ; and my Father 
is the husbandman. lam the vine • you are the hranches ; he that 
ubideth in me, and I in him. the same beareth much fruit ; for 
without me, you. can do nothing. If any one abide not in me he 
shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall 



162 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

gather hhn up, and cast him into the fire, and he hurneth, I am 
the trite vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch 
i)i one that beareth not fruit he loill take away ; and every one 
that beareth fruit he will purge it, that it may bring forth more 
fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear 
fruit itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless 
you abide in 77ie,'^ Are you a living branch of this celestial vine? 
Are you an unproductive branch ? Are you not separated and 
cut off from the vine ? Do you not fear that this will be your 
condemnation to be cast into the fire '? 

3d Point. Under the similitude of a vine recognize your soul, 
which requires the most unwearied watchfulness and care, that it 
may bear much fruit. What do not men do to render a vine fruit- 
ful ? They bind it up, trim it, and surround it with those com- 
posts which will most enrich it. A vine will w^eep when it is cut; 
and if it had intelligence and the power of language, would com- 
. plain that it had been treated cruelly and unjustly. But the 
husbandman would say, that such a course was necessary to make 
it fruitful, and if it w^ere not thus wounded it would have to be 
cut off and burned. You weep and complain when God deprives 
you of your goods, when He takes from you your health, or re- 
calls to himself those on whom you have set your affections, but 
has it never occurred to you, that without these afflictions your 
soul would have borne none of the fruits of righteousness. Cut 
off, then, all that is superfluous in yourself, for it must be cut or 
burned. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines." Canticles, ii. 

''Turn again, oh God of .hosts, look down from heaven and 
see, and visit this vineyard ; and perfect the same which thy right 
hand hath planted." Psalm Ixxix. 

" He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much 
fruit." St, John, xv. 

" He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and will let out 
#his vineyard to other husbandmen that shall render him fruits in 
due season." Si, Matt, xxi. 



MONDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 1G3 



MONDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

lleMtiitiffn. 

ON THE SMALL NUMBER OF THOSE WHO ARE SAVED. 

'"'Many are called^ but few are chosen,'''' 

1st. Point. The deluge inundated the world, and of all its in- 
habitants only eight were saved. Six hundred thousand fighting 
men went out of Egypt, and only two entered the land of prom- 
ise. A whole field is sown with grain, and only one fourth part 
of it is productive. Many run together in a race, but of all who 
contend only one gains the prize. Are you he who shall be 
crowned ? Are vou fervent in the service of God ] Do vou run 
the race which leads to perfection? Are you not inordinately at- 
tached to earth and the things thereof? Do you -not grow weary 
in the race, and say you can run no longer '? 

2d Point. There are two gates through which souls enter the 
eternal world. Of these one is great, the other small ; one is 
wide, the other narrow. The first opens into a miserable and 
bitter eternity ; the latter, into an eternity of joy which has no 
end. There are only two roads that lead to them ; one is on the 
right, the other on the left. The right conducts men safely to 
heaven, the left leads them direct to hell. - The right is frequented 
by only a few poor and toiling pilgrims ; the left is crowded with 
a multitude who are filled with merriment and delights. The 
right is rugged and difficult ; the left is smooth and pleasant. 
There are but few who select the steep and narrow way on the 
right. The left is the choice of the world. In which of these two 
roads are you ? 

I can only know by the fruits of my life which road I foHow ; 
whether I can hope to be saved, or expect to be damned. In the 
narrow right-hand path we mortify our senses, suppress our pas- 
sions, and do continual violence to nature ; we cut off all unlawful 
pleasures, and deprive ourselves of many that are lawful ; we re- 
trench all superfluities, and retain only .those things which are ne- 
cessary ; we obey with joy and alacrity the commandments of 
God, and even those counsels which are painful and cost us much. 
The road on the left is filled with voluptuousness, sloth, and 
licentiousness. Those who walk therein deny themselves no 
gratification; the v shrink from the slightest inconvenience or 
difficulty ; their lives are devoted to good cheer, of which they 



164 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

enjoy an abundance, and to the aixiusements of the world. They 
entertam a horror of penance, and abandon themselves to their 
passions. 

Oh, most merciful God ! I have much reason to fear that my 
salvation is in peril ! I fear that I am in the left-hand road, for I 
fmd myself surrounded by a multitude who all hurry along with 
heedless steps and sounds of tumult in the same direction. I 
follow whither they lead, and do not obey the voice of conscience 
which urges me to leave them and go elsewhere. My life is 
crowned with pleasure and ease. I think not of mortifying my- 
self in any particular, and do no penance. Oh, I know well that 
the road which leads to heaven is the one I ought to choose, but 
it is steep, it is rugged and difficult. Few walk therein. I know 
that I cannot be saved unless I join the number of those pilgrims, 
who, with their eyes fixed on heaven, bless the toilsome way that 
conducts them thither. I also know that I must be inevitably 
damned if I continue with the heedless throng who have chosen 
the road which terminates in the abyss of eternal perdition. 

3d Point. My soul, ponder well these words : " Many are 
called^ but few are chosen.'''^ Let us hasten to seek the narrow 
path of repentance and mortification. Let us fly, for our lives, 
from the broad and pleasant road that leads to hell. Alas ! what 
will it avail me to have gained the world's all, of honor, fame, 
wealth, luxury, and ease, if, after death, I am condemned to an 
eternity of misery and anguish unspeakable '? Oh my God, help 
me, lead me, guide me into the rough and narrow way which will 
at last bring me to a place of eternal repose and perpetual light. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Enter ye in at the narrow gate : for wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way that leadeth to destruction ; and many there are 
who*go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way, 
that leadeth to life ; and few there are that find it." Si, Matt, vii. 

" Strive to enter by the narrow gate ; for many, I say to you, 
shall seek to enter and not be able." St. Liike^ xiii. 

'' This way of theirs is a stumbling-block to them ; and after- 
words they shall delight in their mouth. They are laid in hell 
like sheep ; and death shall feed upon them." Psalm xlviii. 

" There is a way that seemeth just to a man ; but the ends 
thereof lead to death." Proverbs^ xiv. 



TUESDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 165 



TUESDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESI:MA SUNDAY. 

WHY SO FEW ARE SAVED. 

1st Point. It was the design of God that all men should be 
saved. He bestows free-will and understanding on all who come 
into the world ; He refuses his grace to none ; He delivered his 
only Son to a painful and ignominious death for the salvation of 
sinners. '''' I desire not the death of him that dieth^''' saith the Lord 
God, " return ye and live,^'' He never abandons a soul which does 
not first abandon Him. He seeks from morning until night for 
laborers to work in his vineyard. Why, then, are so few saved ] 

2d Point. It is because nature is corrupt and has an insatiable 
craving for evil and forbidden things ; because the children of 
men refuse to do violence to their natural inclinations, and hold 
no rein over their passions ; they are governed by sensual pleas- 
ur.es which debauch the heart; they live according to the maxims 
of the world which are opposed to the precepts of Jesus Christ ; 
they live in sin, and scoff at penance and humility ; or, if they do 
penance at all, they either do it without the proper dispositions, 
or postpone it until the hour of death. It is because they cease 
sinning only when it is no longer in their power to sin. They 
never think of God, they refuse to hear his word, and will not 
keep his commandments. It is, finally, because they die as they 
have lived, and as men for the most part live in sin, it is not to 
be wondered at that they die in sin. 

3d Point. God despises in death those who have despised Him 
in life. The enemy of souls rarely suffers the prey he has secured 
in life to escape him at the hour of death. It is difficult, indeed, 
to destroy in old age a habit contracted in early youth. The 
wicked carry with them to the grave the vices of their early 
years ; these penetrate the marrow of their bones, and sleep with 
them under the dust. What miracle is it, after this, that so 
many are damned and so few saved ? 

O my God, if I am saved, it will be by thy free and infinite 
grace ; if I am damned, it will be through my own blind and per- 
verse malice. What is there that Thou hast not done for me ? 
Has thy grace ever been wanting to me ? Is it not in my power 
to receive the sacraments, which are the certain means of salva- 
tion % Can I not at all times do penance for my sins, since Thou 
hast commanded it] Cannot I perform those things which so 



166 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

many others have done who have the same weaknesses that I 
have? '' Israel^ if thou art lost, it shall be through thy own 
fault^'' saith the Lord; " ?/ thou art saved, it shall be through 
\7iy grace and through- my mercy, which are wanting to no?ie,^^ 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard that 
I have not done to it ?" Isaias, v. 

" His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth ; and 
they shall sleep with him in the dust." Job, xx. 

'' Destruction is thy own, O Israel ; thy help is only in Me," 
Osee, xiii. 

''The holy man is perished out of the earth; and there is none 
upright among men." MicheaSy vii. 



WEDNESDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON ENVY. 

1st Point. The envious laborer murmured because the house- 
holder gave as much recompense to those who came into the vine- 
yard at the eleventh hour, as to them who had borne the burden 
and heat of the day. * • 

What is envy ? It is a black and diabolical passion, w^hose hell 
is the happiness of others, and whose happiness is only found in 
the miseries and anguish of the unfortunate. 

It is an extravagant passion, which always pursues the light, yet 
cannot endure its effluence ; which regards virtue, but cannot sup- 
port the applause it wins. 

It is an unjust and unreasonable passion, which hates a man be- 
cause he is good, and proceeds with rancor against him because 
he is happy and without crime. 

It is a detestable passion, which would destroy the source of 
all good, and break the union which binds together the commerce 
of nature with grace and glory. 

2d Point. What is envy ? It is an insolent passion which 
would, if possible, institute a judicial contest against the provi- 
dence of God, and take from Him the government of the world, 
because He prospers the good and bosses the just. 

It is an infernal passion, which tortures the damned, who be- 



WEDNESDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 1G7 

hold afar off those Avho are saved enjoying an unclouded felicity, 
of which they are hopelessly and eternally deprived ; and who 
suffer, in all their senses, the fire which consumes them, and the 
worm that, never dying, preys on them. 

It is a malicious passion, which wars against the Holy Ghost ; 
and takes offence at the prosperity and virtues of others, while it 
endeavors to spread its venom over the graces which render them 
worthy of the love of God and the esteem of men. 

Finally, it is a despairing passion, and an evil without remedy, 
because it closes every avenue of the human heart to the influ- 
ences of grace, and seeks its only relief in the ruin of innocence. 

3d Point. Are you not under the dominion of this vice ? Does 
not the prosperity of your neighbor afflict and disturb you 1 Do 
you not rejoice in his adversity ? • Are you not vexed at the 
abundance of his temporal possessions 1 This is the flrst step. 
Are you not displeased at his spiritual treasures, such as the spirit 
of wisdom, counsel, fortitude, and other gifts of the Holy Ghost ? 
This is the second step. Do you not envy him those supernatu- 
ral gifts which enrich him, such as those of grace, integrity, per- 
fection, and sanctity 1 This is the third step. Alas ! miserable 
and haughty creature, you are animated by the fury an-d malice 
of the devil, and shall suffer, unless you repent speedily, the same 
punishment with him through all eternity. Be afraid, tremble at 
the terrible horrors wdiich await the envious ; humble yourself by 
true contrition, and learn to rejoice in the good of your fellow 
beings, and love your neighbor as yourself. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Is thy eye evil because I am good ?" St. Matt xx. 

" Soundness of heart is the life of the flesh; but envy is the 
rottenness of the bones." Proverbs^ xiv. 

" But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world." 
Wisdom^ ii. 

" A man that maketh haste to be rich, and envieth others, is 
ignorant that poverty shall come upon him." Proverbs^ xxviii. 

" For whereas there is among you envying and contention, are 
you not carnal, and walk according to man?" 1 Corinthians^ \\\, 



1(>8 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

THURSDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON THE MALICIOUS AND MISERABLE RESULTS OF ENVY. 

1st Point. Envious persons outrage nature, which produces 
only that which is good, and grace, which cannot act in concert, 
or ally itself with any evil, because they derive their happiness 
and satisfaction from the disasters, the evils, and sorrows which 
afflict their fellow men. When the enemy of God wishes to en- 
snare souls through any of the other vices, he invariably clothes 
the temptation in those allurements which appeal to the gratifica- 
tion of the senses. But to the envious he presents only vexation 
and trouble. It is this which causes the envious to resemble 
those malicious spirits, who are miserable because they cannot 
endure the contemplation of the happiness of others, and who 
desire to work evil, although they know it cannot profit them in 
any way. 

2d Point. An envious person is the enemy of all, and inflicts 
mortal wounds on charity. As charity is the root of all virtues, 
it may be said that envy is the chief of all vices. It was the 
cruel beast that devoured the innocent Joseph. An avaricious 
man is averse to sharing his goods with others, and will resort to 
every stratagem to prevent others from using them. He is a 
monster of iniquity and injustice, to whom the tranquillity of a 
good conscience is inconceivable. 

3d Point. An envious person sins against the Holy Ghost, op- 
poses every blessing that He would communicate to the soul, 
and endeavors to extinguish his love. The apostate makes war 
against his truth, and the envious his divine goodness. Both of- 
fend the love and truth of the Spirit of God. It is this which 
renders their sin so heinous that it is supposed to be unpardon- 
able. Ail other vices make war only against those virtues which 
are opposed to them. Envy makes war with every virtue, be- 
cause it cannot bear that any of them should be praised, valued, 
or practised. Are you not the slave of this diabolical passion ? 
Are you pleased at beholding your equals esteemed and honored ? 
Does not their elevation cast you down and make you sad ? 
does not their courage seem to enfeeble you? does not their 
downfall exalt and delight you ? Are you proud ? Then you 
are envious ; yqu spurn at the idea of having either a superior or 
equal, and when one is elevated above you, envy seizes on you 



FRIDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 169 

and reigns ^Yithm you. Oh detestable sin ! ^Yhich inflicts misery 
through the happiness of others. Oh diabolical evil ! which de- 
prives one of the inestimable merits of charity ! 



FRIDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The envious person is the most miserable of all 
human beings. He nourishes vipers which sting and devour him. 
He is diseased because others are healthy, and displeased because 
others rejoice and are glad. " Can they^'' says the Son of God, 
^^ gather grapes on thorn hushes, or figs- from brambles?'''^ Do they 
not, on the contrary, gather thorns instead of grapes from the 
vine, and brambles instead of fruit from the fig-tree ? It is the 
way of the envious to poison whatever good they come in con- 
tact with, and seek torment in the felicity of others. 

2d Point. Kn envious person is separated from the communion 
of the Church because he enters not into the communion of charity. 
He' has no part in the merits of the saints, which would increase 
his spiritual treasures, if he loved them. But because he is in- 
capable of loving holiness he cannot participate in the merits of 
those who practise it. He is, then, the most wicked and miserable 
of all men. 

3d Point. Pride removes us far away from God ; hatred sep- 
arates us from our neighbor ; anger disorders the mind, and 
causes us to consider only ourselves ; but envy separates us from 
God, our neighbor, and arrays us ever against the best interests 
of our souls; for it is pride which gives birth to it. hatred which 
preserves it, sadness which nourishes it, anger which burns and 
inflames it. "They shall know," says the Son of God, "that ye 
are my disciples, if ye love one another ;" and " they shall know," 
declares Satan, "that ye are my disciples, if ye hate one another." 

Love your neighbor, consult his interests, rejoice in his pros- 
perity, sympathize with him in his adversity, envy not his glory, 
forbear to wound his reputation. If you possess charity, it will, 
like a magnet, draw all blessings unto you; but if you are with- 
out it, your soul will become like the desert, in which neither 
green leaf nor water is found, or like a barren tree,* which hath no 
fruit, and is only fit to be cast into the fire; for God, finding you 
8 



170 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



unworthy of so divine a treasure, will deprive you of all those 
graces which can only be preserved and guarded by charit} . 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Where envying and contention is, there is inconstanc}- and 
every evil w^ork." James^ iii. 

" Anger indeed killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little 
one." Joh^ v. 

"The eye of the envious is wicked: and he turneth away his 
face, and despiseth his own soul." Eccles, xiv. 

" Neither will I go with consuming envy ; for such a man shall 
not be partaker of wisdom." Wisdom^ vi. 



SATURDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

REMEDY FOR ENVY. 

1st Point. Is it necessary for your eye to see evil, that you 
may see'k out wickedness, because God is good, patient^ and mer- 
ciful *? If you love God, your chief delight will consist in his 
being honored and loved by all creatures. " Oh that all the people 
might prophecy, ^^ s<^id Moses, ''''and that the Lord would give them 
his Spirit.''^ Behold a man who loved God, and sought only his 
glory ! one who always rejoiced in the righteousness and pros- 
perity of his neighbor, and carried before the Lord the distresses 
of others as if they had been his own ! It is impossible that you 
should love God, unless you desire to see him loved, served, and 
honored by all his creatures, and rejoice therein. 

The disciples of St. John the Baptist were dissatisfied because 
Jesus baptized and all men resorted to Ilira. St. John, on the 
contrary, was overjoyed, and declared to them these words : " This 
my joy is fulfilled, lie must increase, but I must decrease,''^ When 
you love your neighbor you will derive more gratification from 
seeing him honored and sought after than yourself Should you 
not love him ? Is he not your brother, if not according to nature, 
at least according to grace ? Are you not children of the same 
faith, members of the same mystical body? and who ever beheld 
so unnatural a spectacle as two members bearing malice and envy 
towards each other ] On the contrary, when one is diseased or 
wounded, the rest sympathize ; and when one is healed, the othei's 



SATURDAY AFTER SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 171 

rejoice ; when one suffers, all suffer ; when its health and strength 
returns, all are consoled. 

2d Point. Were your love actuated by high and true motives, 
you would find much happiness in the joy of others, for charity 
Avill render you a participant in whatever blessings your neigh- 
bor may receive. Spiritual possessions do not, like corporeal 
treasures, diminish accordino- to the vast numbers who receive 
them. Your neighbor toils for you when he works for himself, 
if you are united to him by the bonds of Christian affection. Char 
ity makes no distinction of persons ; she gives to all in common, 
and gives freely, without diminishing her store. Why, then, will 
you persevere in wickedness ? What will it profit you to nourish 
this diabolical passion of envy? Alas! it will only rem^ove you 
farther from God, and injure you irreparably ! 

3d Point. Huniilitv is the true antidote for envy. Envv is the 
offspring and sister of pride. One is afflicted at the prosperity of 
others, because his proud nature cannot brook the idea of an equal 
or a superior. At the moment Xucifer conceived the sin of pride, 
he became envious. Pride and envy are, therefore, the offspring 
of the devil, and if you indulge in one you cannot escape the 
detestable sin of both. If you wish to make. him your example 
in life, you shall be eternally miserable with him after death. 

Peace will never fold her wino^s in vour soul if you have not 
humility ; and it is only when you are truly humble that you will 
rejoice in seeing others more beloved, more esteemed, more occu 
pied, more honored, more wealthy, more virtuous, more holy and 
perfect, than yourself. Content yourself with being more humble 
than they are, and you shall possess a treasure equal to their cost- 
liest goods. 

4th Point. The early Christians were happy because they were 
governed by one heart, one soul, and were animated by the same 
spirit. All goods were in common among them, because they 
were animated by a pure and disinterested charity. From whence 
arise the malice, the enmities, the sighs, the defiances, the slan- 
ders, the calumnies, the lawsuits, and all the blackest crimes of 
humanity, if not from pride and envy ? Emulate and nourish 
charity, love God as the primitive Christians did, and, like them, 
you will enjoy a happiness as enduring and profound as it is 
divine ; a peace which the world can neither give nor take away. 

The devil tempted our first parents through envy. It was envy 
that led Cain to murder Abel his brother. Esau hated and 
persecuted his brother Jacob through envy. The brethren of 
Joseph were urged by envy to sell him to strangers and idolators. 



J72 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Saul made war against David through envy. The Jews crucified 
Jesus Christ through envy. Through the diabolical sin of envy 
death entered into the world, and it has, in all ages, been the oc- 
casion of the damnation of the greater part of those who are lost. 
Do you wish to belong to the miserable congregation of the en- 
vious ? Consider the malice and magnitude of the vice which 
governs them, behold their misery, reflect on their chastisements ; 
think with horror of being their companion in hell, where all 
generous, friendly, and loving emotions will be forever banished 
from your soul ; where you can never perform a virtuous act, or 
receive good from any source ; where this vice will sharpen every 
pang and horror of vour dark abode, and scourge you in all your 
senses through eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that rejoiceth at another man's ruin shall not go unpun- 
ished." Proverbs^ xvii. 

" When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad : and in his ruin let 
not thy heart rejoice ; lest the Lord see, and it displease Him, 
and He turn away his wrath from him." Proverbs^ xxiv. 

" Let us not become desirous of vainglory, provoking one an- 
other, envying one another." Galatians^ v. 

" I am a partaker with all them that fear Thee, and that keep 
thy commandments." Psalm cxviii. 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. St Luke^ viii. 4-15. 

"At that time, when a very great multitude was gathered 
together, and hastened out of the cities to meet Jesus, he spoke 
by a similitude. A sower went out to sow his seed : and, as he 
sowed, some fell by the way-side, and it was trodden down, and 
the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a 
rock ; and, as soon as it Avas sprung up, it withered away, because 
it had no moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the 
thorns, growing up with it, choked it. And other some fell upon 
good ground, and sprung up, and yielded fruit an hundred-fold. 
Saying these things He cried out : He that hath ears to hear, let 
him hear. And his disciples asked Him what this parable might 
be. To whom he said : To you it is given to know the mystery 
of the kingdom of God : but to the rest in parables ; that seeing, 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 173 

they may not see, and hearing, they may not understand. Now 
the parable is this : The seed is the word of God, and they by 
the way-side are they that hear ; then the devil cometh, and taketh 
the word out of their hearts, lest, believing, they should be saved. 
Now^ they upon a rock are they w^ho, when they hear, receive the 
word with joy, and these have no roots; for the^ believe for 
awhile, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which 
fell among thorns are they who have heard, and gone their way, 
are choked with the cares, the riches, and the pleasures of this life; 
and yield no fruit. But that on good ground are they w^ho, in a 
good and perfect heart, hearing the w^ord, keep it, and bring forth 
fruit in patience." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. It is Jesus Christ who sows good thoughts in the 
mind, and heavenly desires in the heart, which produce joy, peace, 
and holiness ; the devil, on the contrary, is the enemy of God 
and man, who*^ows tares, that is to say, evil thoughts and bad 
desires, w^hich bring forth sin, and the fruits thereof. Oh what 
more divine seed than the body of Jesus Christ, which we receive 
in holy communion ! Oh how admirable and beautiful are the 
fruits He produces, when He enters into a soul that is well pre- 
pared to receive Him ! Oh what peace, what joy, what consola- 
tion is imparted to the soul w^hich receives Him devoutly ! 

Have you not listened for many years to the word of God ? 
How is it, then, that you have profited so little by. it? Is it not 
because it is trodden under foot, that is to say, that you mingle 
too much with the world, partake too often of its follies, and give 
admission into your soul to a multitude of vain imaginations and 
evil thoughts 1 Is it not because you have too great a concern 
about the affairs and possessions of this life 1 Is it not because 
you seek too incessantly the pleasure and gratification of your 
senses ] Is it not because you have a soul, which may be com- 
pared to a rock, that receives but refuses to nourish the w^ord of 
God, and becomes more hardened and confirmed in iniquity ? 
Alas ! it is to be feared that this is the case. Oh what a terrible 
account you w^ill be called on to render your Judge for having 
allowed this divine seed to be lost and made useless to you ! 

2d Point. A good heart resembles rich soij^ w^hich of itself 
brings f^rth only thorns and brambles, but when it is prepared 
and sowed by the husbandman yields a valuable and fruitful 



174 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

harvest. It is thus with our hearts, which, without the grace of 
God, can neither doj think, or desire any thing bat evil ; but en- 
riched by his grace, they bring forth a fruition unto eternal life. 
The earth alone could not produce fruits, neither could the seed, 
if it remained separated from the soil ; but seed sown in the earth 
is made abundantly fruitful by the warmth and nourishment it 
receives therefrom. Thus it is not the heart separated from grace, 
or grace separated from the heart, which causes celestial virtues 
and good works to gernrinate, but it is the heart vivified and 
strengthened by its union with grace. The earth suffers itself to 
be clothed and stripped without complaint. It brings forth no 
fruit unless it is cultivated, worked, and broken to its very depths. 
Thus the soul is sterile if it is not stirred, ploughed up, and dis- 
turbed by crosses, temptations, and humiliations. Winter is as 
necessary to the earth as summer, night as day, dryness as well 
as rain. Why, then, despond, and fear that you are lost in sea- 
sons of darkness, dryness, and aridity ? 

3d Point. Cultivated earth, after it is watered by rain, brings 
forth abundant harvests, and receives the blessing of God. But 
that earth, which, notwithstanding all, produces oW»y " thorns and 
briars^ is rejected^'^ says St. Paul, '''' and very near to a curse^ whose 
end is to be burnt,'^ Alas, my God! I fear that I have incurred 
thy displeasure. Thou hast cared tenderly and unceasingly for 
my soul since the hour of its birth ; Thou hast bestowed abun- 
dant graces on it : Thou hast watered it with heavenly rain, and 
warmed it with the sunshine of thy love; Thou hast cultivated, 
sown, and nourished it with thy divine mercies, and, notwithstand- 
ing all, it produces only the evil fruits of vice and sin. Oh my 
God, withhold thy curse for a season, that I may begin at once, 
and co-operate faithfully with thy grace, and bring forth an abun- 
dant harvest. I will work in patience that the fruits of righteous- 
ness may be born in my soul, flourish, and live forever. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' Every word of God is fire- tried : He is a buckler to them 
that hope in Him." Proverbs^ xxx. 

" For of his own will hath He begotten us by the word of truth." 
St. James, i. 

" Ye that fear the Lord, love Him; and your hearts shall be 
enlightened." Eccles. ii. 

'• Blessed are Jliey who hear the word of God, and keep it.'' 
St, Luke, xi. . 



MONDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 175 

MONDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON THE EXCELLENCE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD. 

1st Point. God created the world by his word, and He resolved 
to save it by his word. He ransomed men from eternal death 
by his incarnate word, and He wills that they shall be saved only 
by the same word, preached and announced. The Holy Ghost is 
produced in the heart of God and in the hearts of men : in the 
heart of God, by his interior word ; in the heart of man, by his 
exterior word. 

Jesus Christ speaks by the mouth of his preachers. He it is that 
enlightens their minds, that inflames their hearts, and that gives 
speech to their tongues. It is Jesus who comes to you, clothed 
with the sound of his word, as He came from the womb of the 
Holy Virgin clothed in her flesh. When you read a pious book, 
you should attend and lay to heart the holy lessons it teaches, for 
it is God who speaks to you from its pages. His written word is 
a sacrament of salvation, of which the letters are a kind of species 
which conceal Jesus who is the spirit and sense thereof. 

The uncreated word, united with the created word, seeks an 
entrance into our hearts to enrich and sanctify them. Vv^hat im- 
piety and sacrilege to despise this sacrament ; to trample under 
foot the Son of God ; to spill and profane his blood ! You are 
guilty of this when you despise his word. 

2d Point. " My sheei) know my voice^'' says the Divine Shep- 
herd. You are not, then, of the sheep of his fold if you neither 
hear nor recognize his voice. Your heart will bring forth only a 
harvest of thorns and brambles, if you do not receive this divine 
seed. Blessed is the womb that bore the incarnate word. More 
blessed is the heart which receives the same word announced, that 
enters in and gives it eternal life. But miserable and unhappy 
is he who would suppress and extinguish this divine word in its 
birth. He is more guilty than Herod, who sought to destroy 
Him, but could not accomplish it. 

Alas, how often have I not been guilty of this thing ! how often 
have I not prevented the birth of Jesus in my soul 1 how often 
have I destroyed his life, after having conceived Him, by his divine 
word ! I receive this divine seed, and it produces nothing either 
in my soul or mind ; I eat of this celestial bread, and it does me 
no good, and imparts to me no strength. 



176 . DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

3d Point. The word of God perverts those whom it does not 
convert. It works evil for those to whom it does no good ; it 
damns those whom it does not save ; it kills him whom it does not 
"cure. It is impossible for me to be saved if I do not hear it : 
and if hearing, I do not profit by it, I shall be inevitably damned. 
I must, therefore, not only hear but also profit by it. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave 
thee suck." St, Luke^ xi. 

"He that turneth away his ears from hearing the laws, his 
prayer shall be an abomination." Proverbs^ xxviii. 

" Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of God." St, Matt, iv. 

" See that you refuse not him that speaketh." Hebrews^ xii. 



TUESDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDA^ 

Olf THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The deceitfulnesss of riches suppresses the growth 
and fruition of the seed that God sows in the human heart. The 
desire of having, the care of preserving, the dread of losing them, 
and the grief which ensues after they are lost, are the thorns which 
prevent the increase of this divine seed. If you desire and strive 
inordinately to possess earthly riches, you will assuredly forfeit 
those of heaven; and you shall gather from your labor only 
thorns, which will torment you in time and in eternity. 

2d Point. An avaricious man is devoid of faith, since he en- 
tertains sentiments contrary to the gospel. Jesus promises many 
blessings to the poor, but the avaricious are an abomination to 
Him. How, then, can the rich and avaricious believe themselves 
happy, when they are separated from the only source of true hap- 
piness ? If He esteems the poor, and imparts his choicest bless- 
ings to their state, should we not love poverty 1 If He declares 
that riches are evil and perilous to the soul should we desire them 1 
Eaith is opposed to and combats with avarice, and avarice con- 
tends against faith. In order to preserve one it is necessary to 
lose the other. If you sincerely desire to preserve faith you must 
overcome and destroy avarice. 



TUESDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 177 

3d Point. The avaricious man neither thinks of nor hopes for 
eternal treasures, for who can hope for or value that in which 
they have no faith ? If he believed that true riches were laid up 
in heaven would he not labor to acquire them ? He is indifferent 
to the truth of the existence of God, because a belief in one from 
w^hom he expects nothing would not conduce to his temporal 
interests. 

What hope is there for the rich if the poor lift up their voices 
to God and accuse them ? if the wddow and orphan witness against 
them ? Do they not idolize their gold ? do they not sacrifice to it 
every faculty of their minds ? do they not sacrifice to it their hope 
and salvation ? do they place their trust in any thing beyond it 1 
Are you not one of those impious, unbelieving, and idolatrous 
souls ] What have been your thoughts ? whither have your de- 
sires tended ? why, then, do you afflict yourself? 

What will you gain by amassing so many goods, except sorrow, 
spiritual pain, torment and disquietude ? Insensible wretch ! this 
night thy soul shall be required of thee ; and what will become of 
thy possessions 1 Can you carry them with you beyond the grave 1 
It is an inexorable truth, that you wall have to lay down your 
gold and treasures at the gate of death ! The camel cannot pass 
through the eye of a needle. Oh fool! to incur damnation for 
perishable things. Oh avaricious heart, that God himself cannot 
satisfy ! Oh miserable and unhappy one, to waste your time in 
laboring for those who shall come after you, and do nothing for 
the safety of your own soul ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" There is not a more wicked thing than to love money : for 
such a one setteth even his own soul to sale." JEccles, x. 

" If thou be rich, thou shalt not be free from sin." Eccles, xi. 

" Having heard these things, he was sorrowful : for he was very 
rich." St. Luke^ xviii. 

" How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom 
of God ] For it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of 
a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." 
Ibid, 

8^ 



178 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WEDNESDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



■ _ m 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. There is nothing more displeasing to God than an 
avaricious man. He is without charity, because his heart dwells 
where his treasures are. Can we serve two masters ? can we love 
God and mammon ? Cupidity is opposed to charity. The cupid- 
ity of riches is infinite ; it occupies the heart, and absorbs every 
faculty. It is a difficult thing to effect great gains without being 
guilty of great injustice. He who desires only to enrich himself 
and hoard up treasures, appropriates to himself all that he can 
with impunity lay his hands on, and returns nothing. Nature is 
satisfied with that which is necessary to its support, but avarice is 
insatiable and sets no bounds to its desires. Legitimate gains are 
slow. Great profits are nothing more or less than great frauds, 
and accumulated acts of injustice. How, then, can an avaricious 
man, who has neither faith, hope, or charity, be saved 1 

2d Point. An avaricious man is incapable of discovering his 
sins, because he becomes spiritually blind. And when his con- 
science w^hispers, and would reveal them to him, he refuses to listen 
or do penance. All his frauds and dishonest practices appear to 
him just and innocent: the stolen water is sweeter to him than 
that which he is permitted to use, that is, he values more that 
which he has acquired by diabolical ingenuity and craft than his 
lawful gains. Restitution becomes an impossibility. As all his 
passions have contributed to his robberies all assist in defending 
them. Bat without restoring his ill-gotten possessions he can 
never hope for pardon or salvation. 

3d Point. Examine your heart, and see if it is not the slave of 
this vice. • Open your coffers, and look for it amidst your heaps 
of gold and silver. Oh my God ! said a certain saint, I am 
neither tormented, nor anxious concerning the possessions of this 
world, for Thou knowest where I have laid up my treasures. 
Alas, is it just to damn one's self to amass thorns which will wound 
the heart and cause it to bleed] We brought nothing into the 
world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing with us beyond 
the grave. 

Happy are those who content themselves with God ; unhappy 
those whom God cannot satisfy. Silver and gold were the gods 
of the Gentiles, but the God of heaven alone shall be mine. It 



THURSDAY AFTER SEXAOESIMA SUNDAY. 179 

is in Him that I hope, for Him that I work, iii Him that I rest. 
Seek above all things his kingdom and his justice, and all things 
that are necessary shall be added to you. 

V- t,' 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Labor not to be rich ; but set bounds to thy prudence.'' Prov 
erbs, xxiii. 

" Trust not in iniquity, ^nd cover not robberies : if riches 
abound, set not vour heart on them.'' Psalm Ixi. 

" He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." Prov- 
erhs^ xxviii. 

'• For they that will become rich fall into temptation, and into 
the snares of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful 
desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition.'' 1 Tim- 
oiliy^ vi. 



THUPwSDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



pfMtatiaiL 



ON POVERTY. 



1st Point. That the word of God may bear fruit in our hearts, 
it is necessary to root up every thorn which the thirst for riches 
has produced therein, and cultivate and nourish a love of pov- 
erty. 

A person who is poor in spirit, gives himself no trouble or 
anxiety concerning the goods and affairs of this life. A person 
poor in heart desires nothing. He contents himself with the ne- 
cessaries of life, and is equally contented when they are wanting 
to him. A poor and contented man has but few wants ; a rich 
and avaricious man is insatiable in his desires. A little suffices 
for necessity ; all things, even abundance and superfluities, cannot 
satisfy avarice. 

2d Point. A man is rich who possesses God ; a man is poor 
who does not possess him. A man is happy who desires only 
Trod ; a man is miserable who is not contented with God. All 
that the world values ends in nothingness. God cannot fill a 
heart which is closed and pre-occupied. When you desire noth- 
ing, you have all ; when you have nothing, you possess all. 

You say you have " much goods laid up for many years, and 
can take your rest, eat, drink, and make good cheer ;" but the^ 
Son of God declares that '* not being rich towards God, you are 



180 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

poor" and miseraljile. A ricli man is generally wanting in faith, 
hope, charity, sweetness, patience, mercy, peace, rest, consolation 
and humility. It is only the poor in spirit who can say : " I 
want for nothing, because God is sufficient for me." 

3d Point. O my God, poverty is a rich inheritance. Thou art 
gracious and mercifid to those who leave all else for thy love. 
It is this evangelical treasure which fills the soul with joy, and in- 
duces a man to sell all he has, that, he may buy it. Who can 
fear to wander astray, walking in thy divine footsteps ? Can any 
of thy creatures be born in greater poverty than Thou wast ? can 
any die in greater poverty than Thou didst ? Thou wast rich, 
and madest thyself poor ; I am poor and desire to become rich ! 
Thou didst possess all, and wast willing to want for all ; Thou 
wast Master of all, and condescendedst to become the Servant 
of all. I have nothing, and sigh for abundance and luxuries ! 
Am I deceiving myself, or is it Thou who art in error? It is I 
who am in error, because I esteem happy those w^hom Thou hast 
pronounced miserable, and miserable those whom Thou hast pro- 
nounced happy. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" According to thy ability be merciful. If thou have little, tahe 
care even so to bestow willingly a little. For thus thou storest 
up to thyself a good reward for the day of necessity." Tobias, iv. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs' is the kingdom of 
heaven." St. Matt. v. 

" If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." St, Matt. xix. 

" For we brought nothing into this world, and certainly we can 
carry nothing out." 1 Timothy^ vi. 



FRIDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON TOO GREAT A SOLICITUDE ABOUT OUR HEALTH. 

1st Point. Why are you so solicitous about your health? 
Why torment yourself on account of your body? Why so ten- 
der and careful of yourself? Oh, miserable life ! why is so much 
pains taken to preserve it ? What will it profit you to have 
length of days ? Do you fear that the world will perish without 



FRIDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 181 

YOU ? Is not life full enough of miseries to cliso-ust you with it ? 
Why, then, do you dread losing it ? Is it just that a king should 
abase himself so much as to become the groom of his own stables ? 
How can a spiritual soul cft^cupy itself always in the serYice of 
the body, wdiich in its meanness and instincts resembles a stable ? 
Where is the slaYC who will not rejoice when his chains are bro- 
ken ? Ill health and sickness sunder the chains which hold your 
soul in bondage to the body, and yet you afflict yourself in order 
to strengthen it and increase them. • 

This is the reasoning of the Christian soul : Shall I be solicit- 
ous and troubled about being healed or not ? If I am restored to 
health I lose much ; if I die I gain much, for Jesus Christ is my 
life, and death my gain. Do you reason thus ? Is this what you 
desire ? 

2d Point. Sickness, to the sinful and unprepared, is a formida- 
ble and dreadful thing ; to the generous and good, contemptible ; 
to the Christian desirable, because it affords him an opportunity 
to suffer with Jesus Christ, sho^v how" much he loves Him, to sac- 
rifice to Him his life, and approach Him in eternity, which- is the 
end of all his desires. What is more difficult than to unite holi- 
ness with health ; than to discover the feebleness of the soul in a 
body which is strong ; to know its diseases in a body which is 
full of health ; to sufier in a body which suffers nothing ? It is 
for this that those saints who were robust and strong impaired 
their health by penance, and brought their bodies under spiritual 
subjection ; but you would rather that your soul should languish 
with disease than your body ! You think only of the care of 
your perishing body, and labor not for your immortal soul. 
You spare your health by an omission of those duties, and a re- 
laxation of those rules, on which depends the glory of God, the 
edification of your brethren, and the good order of the com- 
munity which you disturb by your singularities and scrupulous- 
ness in regard to it. G-od alone should be the sole aim and end 
of man ; it is to Him that we ought to direct our thoughts, our 
desires, our designs and actions. And you, O delicate Christian, 
think of nothing but the preservation of your health ! Are you 
not one of those of wdiom St. Paul speaks when he says there are 
"7?iof/z?/, of whom I have told you often, and noiu tell you tvith 
weejnng, that they are enemies of the cross of Clirist ; whose end 
is destruciion, whose God is their body, and whose glory is their 
shame ; ivho mind earthly things^ Do you not make your body 
the object of your worship ? you who think only how you may 
gratify its longings, and who scrupulously consider all that car 



182 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

nourish it or strengthen it ; you who are so delicate and fastidious 
about the preparation o^ your food ; who so greatly fear to fatigue 
or incommode yourself; who fly from labor, dispense yourself 
from all austerity, and yield more toHhe guidance of physicians 
than to the maxims of the Gospel. 

oD Point. Those who occupy themselves too anxiously with 
the care of their health, prove that they have but little confidence 
in Divine Providence ; or that they doubt whether He is watch- 
ful of their necessities, and sustains by his merciful care, the body 
as well as the soul. God, it is true, desires to aid and strengthen 
us ; but Pie does not wish us to attach ourselves too much to this 
life, or apply ourselves too exclusively to remedy those ills which 
He has permitted to visit us. The most enlightened physicians 
know not the cause or nature of your complaints unless God dis- 
covers it to them. They could not apply the proper remedies 
unless He directed them ; the remedies vv^ould have no etfect un- 
less He blessed them ; and He curses those who lean on flesh 
and blood, and have no confidence in Him. He permits ph}'- 
sicians to deceive themselves, and prescribe medicines unsuitable 
to your disease. He always afl[licts those with sickness who set 
too much value on health, and think only of preserving it. 

Are you of this class of persons ? Do you not bestow too ten- 
der and anxious a care on your health, and seek to preserve your- 
self from sickness, because you are afraid of bodily suflering? 
Are you not impatient in sickness ? Do you suflfer with submis- 
sion ? Are you resigned to life or death ? Do you consider 
yourself a victim, whom Jesus Christ has placed here below to be 
immolated for his glory ? Imitate Jesus Christ, who lived on 
earth, and was immolated by continual sufterings. Like an inno- 
cent lamb. He was led to death, uttering no word of complaint. 
Be like the Lamb of God. Suffer yourself to be deprived of all 
things without murmuring, allow yourself to be immolated ; but 
say not a word, and account yourself happy in having a body that 
you can sacrifice, through suffering and death, to God. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against 
the flesh." Galaiians^ v. 

'• And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the 
vices and concupiscences." Ibid, 

" For if you live according to the flesh you shall die : but if by 
the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live." 
Romans^ viii. 



SATURDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 183 

"They who are in the flesh, cannot please God." Ibid, 
"Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusteth in 
man, and maketh flesh his arm." Jeremias^ xvii. 



SATURDAY AFTER SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 

ON THE HAPPINESS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

1st Point. The Holy Virgin is the good soil which received 
the Divine Word, and caused to germinate the celestial grain 
which has enriched the universe with the fruits she has produced 
and given to the world. It is earth as pure and unsullied as was 
that of Eden, when God himself planted therein the Tree of Life. 
" Hail Mary^ full of grace ! the Lord is with thee ! Blessed art 
thou amongst women^ and blessed is the fruit of thy womby 

2d Point. The immaculate Virgin is happy because she has 
conceived in her body the Son of God ; more happ v, in having 
conceived Him in her mind by Faith ; supremely happy, in hav- 
ing conceived Him in body and soul. She is doubly mother of 
the word, since she has given Him double life. Oh that I might 
give Him life in my soul ! Oh that I might hold Llim there for- 
ever ! It is this that He prefers to his corporal life, since He 
suffered death that He might live in my soul. It is by this 
mystical birth that I shall become the brother, the sister, the 
mother, of Jesus Christ. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave 
Thee suck." Luke^ xi. 

" Yea, rather blessed are they who hear the word of God, and 
keep it." Ibid, 

" Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds 
rain the just : let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour." 
Isaias, xlv. 

" Let the people, O God, confess to Thee : let all the people 
give praise to Thee : the earth hath yielded her fruit." Psalm Ixvi. 

" For the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often 
upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is 
tilled, receiveth the benediction of God." Hebrews^ vi. 



184 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
The Gospel. LuTce^ xviii. 31-43. 

" At that time Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said to 
them : Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and all things shall be 
accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the 
Son of Man. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall 
be mocked,' and scourged, and spit upon : and after they have 
scourged Him they will put Him to death, and the third day He 
shall rise again. And they understood none of these things ; and 
this word was hid from them ; and they understood not the things 
that were said. Now it came to pass, that, when he drew nigh to 
Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side, begging. And 
when he heard the mxultitude passing by, he asked what this 
meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth was passing 
by. And he cried: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 
And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his 
peace. But he cried out much more : Son of David, have mercy 
on me. And Jesus, standing, commanded him to be brought 
unto Him. And when he was come near. He asked him, saying : 
What wilt thou, that I do to thee % But he said : Lord, that I 
may see. And Jesus said to him : Receive thy sight ; thy faith 
hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed 
Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, 
gave praise to God." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. At this time Jesus speaks of his sorrows, and the 
world speaks only of its vain delights ; Jesus discourses with his 
disciples on his passion, and the world will neither hear nor com- 
prehend his meaning. The fruits of his passion constitute the 
felicity of the saints. Moses and Elias conversed of it with Him 
oil Thaber. Christian souls, who love Him on earth, speak of 
the -excess of his grief and ignominy with tender compassion and 
profound gratitude, but the wicked shrink with horror from the 
recital of his sorrows, and the example of his humiliations ; they 
converse only of the excess of their transitory joys, their good 
cheer and debaucheries. Oh, sweet Jesus ! there are but few who, 
at this sorrowful time, desire to follow Thee ; but few who keep 



QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAr. 185 

Thee company in thy griefs. They let Thee go to Jerusalem to 
suffer, while they go to Babylon to engage in the pursuit of en- 
joyments. But I will follow Thee wherever Thou goest ; I love 
better to weep with Thee than to rejoice with the world. 

2d Point. A blind man, hearing that Jesus was passing by, 
cried out with all his strength, and in all the earnestness of his 
heart, " Jesus, Son of David^ have mercy on me .^" Oh, beautiful 
prayer of faith and humility, which appeals so powerfully to the 
heart of Christ, and moves Him with such tender pity that He 
calls the blind beggar to Him, and asks, " What wilt thou that 1 
do to thee P being resolved to grant him w^hatsoever he desired ! 
Oh, infinite goodness of God ! which condescends so sweetly to 
man's low estate as to ask him what he would have Him to do, 
as if He could refuse ?iim' nothing that her asked. It is thus that 
St. Peter addresses God : '^^Lord^ v)hat wouldst Thou have me to 
do V But, alas ! there are too many of whom God is obliged to 
ask : " What icilt thou that I do to theeP"^ There are but few 
who say, with the Apostle, ''^ Lord^ what wouldst Thou have me 
to dor 

3d Point. You approach the holy table, and ere long, Jesus 
will pass from the hands of the priest into your heart. When He 
enters, say to Him, with all the faitli and devotion which inspired 
the blind beggar by the way side, Jesus, Son of David, have 
mercy on me ; Jesus, Son of Mary, have compassion on me ! Is 
it not more glorious, more sv/eet, more tender, to call Him the 
Son of Mary than the Son of David ? He will at once respond 
to such an appeal, and say : What wilt thou that I do to thee ; 
for since thou hast interposed- the name and influence of my im- 
maculate mother I can refuse thee nothing : make known thy 
desires that I may grant them. 

Lord, that I may see, that I may know Thee, and know my- 
self; that I may know thy goodness, and my malice ; that I may 
know thy perfections and my d'efects ; that I may know Thou art 
all, and I am nothing ! Lord, I am blind ; I know not what I de- 
sire or need ; I ask to see, to taste, to feel. Is it necessary for 
me that I should comprehend thy designs, relish thy word, and be 
sensible of consolation % Lord Jesus Thou knowest, and 1 ask of 
Thee, not to see, but to praise and love Thee ; to become humble, 
meek and charitable, and be made according to thy own heart, 
that in all things I may be conformed to thy holy will. I seek 
not consolations, but grace to serve Thee with humility and faith. 
Finally, grant that, after death, I may behold thy face in peace, 
and love, praise, and glorify Thee through all eternity. 



186 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frank 
hicense." Canticles^ iv. 

'• And there were Moses and Elias, appearing in glory. And 
they spoke of his decease, which He should accomplish in Jeru- 
salem." St. LuJce, ix. 

"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" AciSy ix. 

" Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the 
strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory 
in his riches : But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he un- 
derstandeth and knoweth me, for I am the Lord, that exercise 
mercy, and judgment, and justice in the earth." Jeremias^ ix. 

"It is just to be subject to God." 2 Muxhahees^ ix. 



MONDAY AFTER QLINQUAGESIMA. 

ON HATRED* OF THE WORLD. 

1st Point. It is necessary to despise the world, it is necessary 
to hate the world ; it is necessary, at all times and in all things, 
to fly from the world, especially in those things wherein it de- 
clares itself the enemy of God. It is necessary to despise the 
world because it is deceitful ; its promises delude men with ex- 
pectations which are never realized. Its pleasures are not genu- 
ine, are not solid, are not pure, are not enduring; they can neither 
content nor satisfy the mind, because they elude our grasp at the 
moment that we think we hold them securely. With what dis- 
gust they fill the soul ! with what inquietude the mind ! with 
what bitterness and remorse the conscience ! Have you ever 
found repose in its service ? How do the pleasures and good 
cheer of the wicked terminate 1 In the ashes of death and an 
eternal Lent, to which they are condemned in hell. 

2d Point. It is necessary to hate the world, because it is the 
enemy of Jesus Christ, the slave and partisan of the devil, who is 
the tyrant of virtue, and the father, the master, and promoter of 
all evil. He who loves the woj^d believes in the maxims of the 
world. He who is opposed to the gospel is a disbeliever in it. 
He is a Christian in name and infidel in heart. The devils be- 
lieve there is a God, but they believe and tremble ; but they do 



♦ TUESDAY AFTER QUINQUAGESIMA. 187 

not believe in a God, because they have not done and can never 
do his holy will. Worldlings, like those fallen spirits, believe 
there is a God, but do not believe in Him, since they refuse to 
obey his commandments ; and are even worse than devils, be- 
cause even they believe and tremble, says St. James ; but world- 
lings believe and mock at Him. In a word, whoever is a friend 
of the world is the avowed enemy of Jesus Cinist. It is neces- 
sary to fly from the world with mind, body and heart, if it is 
possible. Its company is dangerous, its maxims are detestable, 
its customs are pernicious, its examples scandalous, its assemblies 
of fashion infectious. Its partisans are proud and haughty, ava- 
ricious, treacherous, sensual and perfidious, and the enemies of 
God. The world is judged, it is condemned, it is excommuni- 
cated. It is, then, necessary to fly from its companionship, and 
not to frequent it. It is safer to be hated by the wicked than 
loved by them. If you are of the world, says the Divine oracle, 
you will die in your sins.' 



TUESDAY AFTER QUINQUAGESIMA. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. What reason have you 'for loving the world? Did 
it create you ? Did it redeem you ? Can it save you 1 Jesus 
says that " He is not of this world^^'' and you say that you are of 
this world; you are not, then, a disciple of Jesus Christ. Did 
you not at your baptism renounce the world ? You renounced it 
before you had reason, or the knowledge of free will, and now 
that you have both do you not love it? Surely you lead men to 
suppose, by your life, that you would have rejected baptism had 
it been in \ our power to do so. 

2d Point. Jesus, my Saviour, the world has a multitude of 
followers who worship it, and Thou hast but a few servants who 
love Thee and faithfully attend Thee! Thou art taithful, and 
deceivest none, and yet thy creatures refuse thy service ! What 
will J gain by serving the world ? What recompense can I ex- 
pect from if? Wiir it console me in the hour of death? Will 
it defend me after death? Alas, it will betray me ! it will aban- 
don me in my greatest necessities, and deliver me to the power 
of my enemies. 



188 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

3d Point. The first virtue of a Christian, says St. Jerome, is to 
despise and be despised by the world. Say with him, I am not 
of this world, I have learned to despise instead of loving it. I 
love better to be humble and unknown, with Jesus, than to be 
great and honored in the eyes of the world. I love better to 
weep with Jesus, than to rejoice with the world, I love better to 
live in poverty and want all with Jesus, than to live in the midst 
of pleasures, and possess all, with the world. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

"Woe to the world because of scandals." St, Matt xviii: 

" I am not of this world." St. John^ viii. 

" Now is the judgment of the world." St. John., xii. 

" I pray not for the world, but for them whom Thou hast given 
me." St. John., xvii. 

"You are of this world, therefore I s^id to you, that you shall 
die in your sins." St. John., viii. 

" Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. If 
any man loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him." 
1 John^ ii. 

" The world passeth away, and the concupiscence thereof. But 
he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." Ihid, 



EIGHTH OF DECEMBER. 

FEAST OF THE IMIVIACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED 

YIRGIN. 

ON THE GRACE OF HER CONCEPTION. 

1st Boint. Mary was predestined from all eternity to be the 
Mother of the Son of God, in order that she might co-operate 
with Him in the destruction of the empire of sin, ai;d become the 
Queen of angels and of men. Her conception was itself a glori- 
ous mystery, a great grace, and the first effect of. her predestina- 
tion ; and being preserved from the stain of original sin, she waF» 
so pure before she became the Mother of God, that it is impossi- 
ble to conceive an idea of purity like hers. She could say with 
much greater reason than Isaias : " The Lord hath called me from 
the womb ; from the boiuels of my mother he hath been mindful 
of my name /" If the Son of God had not loved her perfectly, 



EIGHTH OF DECEMBER. 189 

if He had refused to her a grace which He values as more pre- 
cious than all others, He would have contracted some stain and 
some infamy, in being born of a sinful woman. Could He have 
permitted the devil to make himself master of his Mother, to 
profane his temple and violate his spouse ? Since she was des- 
tined, with her divine Son, to destroy sin, and crush the serpent's 
head, she was exempt from the slavery and corruption of original 
sin, for the abolishment of which her Son came into the world. 
And she who was destined to be the Queen of angels did not be- 
come inferior in grace to them. As the first angels and first men 
were created in grace, their Queen was conceived without sin. 
Say, then, with the divine Spouse : " Thou art all he^utifvl^ my 
love^ and there is no spot in thee^ She was \ki^ enclosed garden^ 
which the serpent could never enter, and the sealed fountain^ 
which he never defiled. 

2d Point. Mary was liappy 'in being conceived without sin, but 
more happy in never having committed sin. It is a great evil 
for us to have contracted original sin, but a greater evil still for 
us to have committed actual sin. Alas ! we distress ourselves at 
having been born in original sin, and yet do we not live in sin % 
We wish to have been conceived in grace, and yet wish not to 
live in grace ! 

3d Point. Mary never sinned, notwithstanding which she was 
the most afflicted of all creatures ! You sin continually, and wish 
to suffer nothing. Mary was innocent, and was treated as though 
she had been guilty ; you are guilty, and wish to be treated as 
though you were innocent ! Is it proper or just to expect the 
Son of God to have a more tender regard for you than for his 
Holy Mother ] 

4th Point. The grace of Mary's conception is the origin of all 
others that enriched her, and the foundation of her dignity and 
greatness. There are certain graces in life which are the first 
causes of salvation, and on which salvation depends. If you 
co-operate therein, you will be saved ; if you slight and neglect 
them, you will be damned ; and because you do not know the 
precise one on which your eternal safety depends, it is necessary 
to co-operate faithfully in all, for fear that the one that you may 
despise should be that which would have secured your felicity. 

5th Point. There are sins in life which are the origin and first 
cause of damnation, as the first false step on a steep hill side is 
the cause of a dangerous descent to the bottom to him who is so 
unfortunate to take it. You cannot exactly designate the sin by 
which your soul will be precipitated into hell ; it is therefore ne- 



190 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

cessary to avoid all alike, the least as well as the greatest, because 
the great depend on the little, and the little is the first cause of 
that which is great. 

6th Point. There are active sins which may also be named as 
original ; for instance, the sin of scandal which communicates 
itself to, and infects the nature of, others. Such are the sins of 
priests with regard to their people, princes to their subjects, 
parents to their children, masters to their servants ; and generally 
those who lead an exemplary life with regard to those who lead 
a worldly life. Do you not give scandal by your life, your words, 
your actions ? Is not your example pestilential and contagious 
to society ? 

7th Point. Oh holy mother of God ! thou art beautiful and 
pure, and there is no spot in thee ! I am satisfied of the uttei 
imposibility to imagine a creature possessed of such immaculate 
purity as thine ! Thou art inexpressibly happy in having lived 
with God as much as with thyself; we are miserable because 
w^e defer our salvation, and do not begin to live to God until old 
age, or until we are near death. We are afflicted at being con- 
ceived in sin against our will, and we take pleasure in voluntarily 
living in sin and dying in sin ! 

8th Point. Christian soul, live with God all your life as did 
the holy and immaculate Virgin. We were not born in grace, 
but it is our privilege to die in grace ; and we cannot die in grace 
unless we live in grace. Oh, most pure and undefiled Virgin ! 
although I am not immaculate like thee, let my life be without 
stain like thine; and as I have contracted the guilt of original sin, 
obtain for me the grace to avoid all actual sin, that I may re- 
cover by repentance the innocence I have lost, and receive after 
death a welcome from thy divine Son in these words : '' Thou art 
heautiful^my beloved, and there is no spot in thee.'''' Oh, Mother of 
mercy ! let thy happy privilege, thy exemption fron all sin and 
concupiscence, inspire thee wdth pity for our miseries; and, by thy 
spotless purity and abundant graces, obtain for us strength against 
all dangers, the deliverance from all^ our miseries, and the most 
powerful remedies of divine grace. 

' WORDS OF scripture. 

" Thou art albfair, my love, and there is not a spot in thee." 
Canticles^ iv. 

" As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters." 
Canticles, ii. 



SECOND OF FEBRUARY. 101 

"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways." Pro- 
verbs, viii. 

" The work is great ; for a house is prepared not for man, but 
for God." 1 ParaUpomenon, xxix. 

'•Holiness becometh thy habitation, O Lord, unto length of 
days." Psalm xeii. 

''- Who is she that coraeth forth as the morning rising, fair as 

the moon, bright as the sun, and terrible as an army set in array ? 

Canticles^ vi. 

•>« 

SECOND OF FEBRUARY. 
PURrFICATION OF THE BLESSED YIRGIIs^. 

ON THE VIRTUES SHE PRACTISED IN THE TEMPLE. 

1st Point. Mary is the Mother of God, and she appears as the 
mother of a man ! What Humility ! Mary is pure as the sun, 
and she comes to the temple to be purified ! What Purity ! 
Mary is not subject to the law, and she submits to it voluntarily ! 
What Obedience ! Mary has one only Son, infinitely dear to 
her, and she sa<irifices Him to God, by placing Him in the arms 
of the high-priest, and at the same time on those of the cross ! 
What Charity ! 

Imitate these four virtues of the Holy Virgin ; have, like her, 
an humble heart, a pure body, an obedient spirit, and liberal 
hands ! Offer to God that which is most dear to you, sacrifice to 
his service and good pleasure your children and your possessions, 
your desires, and your fears. Give to Him, above all, your 
heart, that only and firstborn, which He asks of you, and com- 
mands you in the law to present to Him ; give it to Him with- 
out reserve or division. You will not lose it in giving it to Him ; 
on the contrary, you will deliver it from the captivity of the 
devil, render it free and happy, and procure for it those inestim- 
able treasures which it can nevei find away from. Him. 

2d Point. Whither go you, Christian soul ? 

To the temple, with holy Simeon. 

What are you going to do there? 

Receive the divine child Jesus in my arms. 

Who will give Him to you ? 

God the Father, and the Virgin Mother, by the hands of the 
priest. 



192 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

How will you receive Him, and what will you do ? 

I will welcome Him with humble rapture into my heart; I will 
make Him rest in my bosom, and will offer Him to God for the 
remission of my sins, and in thanksgiving for the innumerable 
graces which He 'has bestowed on me. 

What will you do after this ? 

I will return, singing, with the holy old man Simeon, this can- 
ticle of joy : '^ JVow dost Thou disiniss thy servant^ Lord^ ac- 
cording to thy word^ in peace ; because my eyes have seen thy sal- 
vation^ luhich Thou hast prepared before the face of all people : a 
light to the revelation of the Gentiles^ and the glory of thy people 
Israeli 

3d Point. Your life will be peaceful, if you desire only Jesus ! 
Your death will be peaceful, if you love only Jesus ! You will 
inherit eternal life if you place, yourself, like a little child, in the 
arms of the Mother of Jesus ! Since she has presented the Chief 
and Head of your salvation to the Father, it is proper that she 
should also present the members ; and since she otfered the first 
of the predestined to Him, it is proper that all the predestined 
should be presented by her hands. Nothing is acceptable to the 
Father that is not presented by the hands of his divine Son; noth- 
ing can please the Son which is not presented by the hands of his 
immaculate Mother ! All that the Son presents is agreeable to 
the Father ; all that the Mother presents is agreeable to the Son. 
Behold how great an obligation you are under to love, honor, and 
serve the Holy Virgin ! 

4th Point. It is necessary to become her child, if you desire 
to be presented by her hands ; and to be her child it is necessary 
to choose her for your ]\rother. It is essential that you should 
imitate her virtues ; be humble, chaste, obedient, and charitable, 
as she was. Oh, Holy Virgin ! oh, worthy of the exalted honor 
of being the Mother of God ! can it be that thou dost wish to be 
the mother of sinners, but above all, such a sinner as I am ? 
Yes, dear and blessed Lady ! 1 am sure that this is thy desire, 
for I no longer delight in sin. For, didst thou not consent to be- 
come the Mother of God that thou mightest also become the 
mother of sinners? Canst thou hate those whom thy Son loves? 
Canst thou reject those whom thy Son has sought, and who with 
such goodness he received into his company ? 

Oh, holy Mother of God ! I place my soul in thy hands ; I 
pray thee to take care of it ; all wicked and defiled as it is, it is 
the price of the blood of thy Son; it is for this that He gave his 
life. It is for its ransom that thou hast sacrificed thy Divino 



ASH-WEDNESDAY. 193 

Child, and delivered Ilim to death. Thcu canst not despise that 
which has cost thee so dear, and which our compassionate and 
tender Jesus, thy dear Son, so dearly loved ! If my soul is in thy 
hands, let every fear subside, and if thou wilt deign present it to 
God it will infallibly be saved ; for all that thou presentest to 
Him is acceptable and agreeable to Him. 

Ohj Jesus my Saviour ! let me depart from this world in peace ; 
after having seen Thee, what more do I wish to behold ? After 
having received Thee into my heart, I have nothing more to de- 
sire. I am satisfied and contented, for Thou hast filled and sup- 
plied all the wants of my soul. Oh, my Lord, remember, I con- 
jure Thee, that I have the honor of bein^ thy servant and the son 
of thy handmaid! Canst Thou turn away from the child of thy 
Mother, in his sore need and distress ? Canst Thdu despise one 
who loves her, and whom she holds under her protection ] 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" They carried Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the 
Lord." St, LuJce^ ii. 

" Take thy only-begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go 
into the land of vision ; and there thou shalt offer him for a holo- 
caust." Genesis^ xxii. 

''I also, in the simplicity of my heart, have joyfully oflfered all 
these things." 1 Paralrpomenon^ xxix. 

" Now dost Thou dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy 
word, in peace." Si. Luke., ii. 

" O Lord, for I am thy servant : I am thy servant and the son 
of thy handmaid." Psalm., cxv. 



ASH-WEDNESDAY. 

ON EXTERIOR PENANCE AND MORTIFICATION. 

1st Point. There is nothing more united and less united than 
the soul and body. When one advances, the other recoils; when 
one rises, the other descends ; when one is in health, the other is 
sick ; when one is strong, the other is weak. It is necessary, then, 
in order to strengthen and give health to the soul, to bring the 
body under subjection, and weaken its evil propensities by pen- 
ance and mortification. 
9 



194 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

I am not a man if I obey my passions ; I am not a Christian if 
I do not combat with and overcome my passions; I am not a true 
penitent if I do not mortify my passions, ^ince my body is pol- 
luted by sin, it ought to be purified by pain ; and since it has 
part in the pleasures of the soul, it ought to glory in sharing its 
sorrows. 

2d Point. How do I know that my sins are forgiven ? How do 
I know that the pain which my offences merit is remitted ? How 
do I knov/ that God will not punish me in my body ? How do 1 
know that He w^ill not chastise me in my soul 1 How do I know 
that He will not regard me with coldness, and permit me to fall 
into some grievous sin ? ' How do I know that I shall be able to 
rise after failing therein ? 

3d Point. If I spare myself, God will not spare me ; if I love 
myself, God will not love me ; if I hate myself, God will not hate 
me ; if I punish myself. God will not punish me ; if I excuse noth- 
ing in myself, God will pardon all ; if I excuse all things in my- 
self, God will pardon nothing ; if I am indulgent to myself, God 
will be severe ; if I am austere and harsh with myself, God will 
be merciful. 

. Oh, Christian soul ! make your body a living and dying victim ; 
mortify your passions, your senses, and your desires; mortify 
yourself at all times, and in all places ; mortify yourself with 
zeal, mortify ;^urself with discretion. 



THURSDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. Make a free oiTering of your body to God, and He 
will impart to you his Spirit. Be watchful and careful in the dis- 
3ipline of your exterior, and He will guard and provide for the 
interior. Do all that you can, and that which you cannot accom- 
plish He will do for you. Walk wiiile you can, and when yonr 
strength fails you He will bear you in his arms. Fast with Jesus, 
that you may eat the Pasch with Him. 

2d Point. Fasting is salutary for both soul and body ; it is an 
efficacious remedy for their diseases. Nothing is impossible to 
him who has faith ; nothing is difficult to him who loves ; all is 
possible to him who reposes his trust in God. Fast if you can, 



THURSDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY. 195 

• 

and persuade yourself that you can do more than you imagine 
yourself capable of. Fasting is blessed by God, consecrated by 
his Son, and observed by all the faithful. God imparts strength 
to those who fast, and deprives of strength those who do not. 
Good cheer and luxurious ease are destructive to the health and 
life of all men ; fasting and abstinence are safe remedies which 
restore the health and prolong the lives of all who practise them. 
He who shall have lost his health and strength for Jesus Christ, 
shall recover all that he thinks "he has lost. He who desires to 
preserve his body and health, to the prejudice of the interests of 
Jesus Christ, shall lose all that he hopes to gain. 

3d Point. 1 will therefore chastise my body as the Apostles 
did, for fear of being found among the reprobates. I desire with 
all my heart to follow the example and imitate the life of Jesus 
Christ, that I may be of the number of the predestined. I will 
mortify my body, in order to remedy the maladies of my soul ; 
I will deprive it of the power of revolting by fasting, which will 
impare its strength. I will mortify my senses, that 1 may live a 
spiritual life. I wish to die with Jesus that I may rise with Je- 
sus. 1 wish for stripes and wounds, that I may become a true 
member of his thorn-crowned head ; and if I have not courage to 
inflict them on mvself, I will at least suffer with thankfulness 
whatever afflictions God may see fit, in his divine providence, to 
send me. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the. 
flesh ; for these are contrary one to another." GoJatians^ v. 

" x\.nd they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with its 
vices and concupiscences." Ibid. 

" If you live according to the flesh you shall die." Eomans, viii. 

'• For the wisdom of the flesh is death ; but the wisdom of the 
spirit is life and peace." Jbicl, 

" Cursed be the man that trusteth. in man, and maketh flesh his 
arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." Jeremias. xvii. 



196 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



FRIDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY 



ON THE EXCELLENCE OF MORTIFICATION. 

1st Point. What is mortification? It is a deatli of love which 
destroys the criminal life, detaches the mind from the senses, 
separates the soul from the body, and makes it live in the spirit. 

It is a sacrifice of love, in which the Holy Ghost is the priest, 
the body is the victim, the heart is the altar, pain the knife, love 
the fire, glory the fruit. 

2d Point. What is mortification ? It is a martyrdom of love, 
less bloody than a martyrdom of faith, but longer and more 
wearisome, more free, and (in one sense) more voluntary. 

What is mortification 1 It is a continuation of the sacrifice of 
the passion of Jesus, which supplies all that is wanting in his 
sufferings ; which transforms our bodies into members of his, and 
animates them with his divine spirit ; which makes us participate 
in his sorrows, merit his graces, and finally exalts us to the throne 
of his glory. 

3d Point. Why is it that I mortify myself so little ? Alas ! 
it is because I do not love Jesus Christ, and am not one of his 
members animated by his spirit ; it is because I lead a sensual 
and carnal life, and despise and shrink from his sufferings ; it is 
that I am the slave of my body and seek only the pleasures of 
the flesh, and relish not those of the spirit, being worldly, sensual, 
voluptuous, and the enemy of God. Oh, in order that I may die 
the death of the just, I will henceforth live the life of the just ; I 
will from this moment become a victim of love, that I may die 
in the arms of divine love. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

*' I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you pre- 
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God.'* 
Romayis^ xii. 

" I die daily." 1 Corinthians^ xv. 

"With Christ I am nailed to the cross." Galatians^ ii. 

" Who now rejoice in my sufferings, and fill up those things 
that are wanting of the suflerings of Christ, in my flesh for his^ 
body, which is the Church." Colossians^ i. 

" Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body 
of this death? Tiie grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord." 
Romans^ vii. 



SATURDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY. ^ 197 

SATURDAY AFTER ASH-WEDNESDAY. 

ON THE OBLIGATIONS WE ARE UNDER TO MEDITATE ON THE 
PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 

*lsT Point. The Son of God is well pleased when we reflect on 
the sorrows of his bitter Passion, and we owe Him this consola- 
tion, since it was for us that He suffered and yielded himself a 
willing victim to the justice of God, bearing in himself the pun- 
ishment due for our sins. It was for this that He descended from 
the throne of his splendor at the right hand of the Father, and 
passed his life on earth in poverty, humiliation, and misery, " Blot- 
ting out^'^ says St. Paul, " the handwriting of the decree that was 
against vs^ fastening it to his cross.'''' We should, then, suffer with 
patience and joy, for the love of Him, all pain, all distress, all 
injuries which may overtake us. But He only asks us to come 
hither, and at the foot of the cross think of the love we owe 
Him, and the excessive griefs He has suffered for our salvatioL. 
Is there any thing more just ? Notwithstanding which, we occupy 
ourselves but little with such reflections. When they are pre- 
sented to our minds, do we not think of them with lightness and 
frivolity, and without interest, attention, or grief? The gran 
deurs, the vanities and pleasures of the world engross our 
thoughts, while the sorrows and pangs of Jesus are forgotten ^ 
Can any thing be more unjust ] 

2d Point. There is nothino- sweeter or more consolinor than to 
meditate on the passion of Jesus, because it reveals to us the ex- 
cess of his tender and compassionate love, and inspires us with a 
lively and strong hope that God will pardon our sins, and be mer- 
ciful to our infirmities. For the Son of God has satisfied the 
justice of God the Father ; He has transferred to us the treas- 
ures of his merits, and we should glory more in the price He has 
given for us than in all the blessings, graces, and joys which we 
hope to obtain from his infinite goodness. 

These are sweet reflections, and ought to fill our souls with con- 
solation. What joy and pleasure ought we not to derive from the 
fountain of all grace, which is ever open and free for the refresh- 
ment of souls 1 

I have committed many and grievous sins; my conscience ' is 
terrified, but why should I be cast down or troubled when I re- 
member the wounds of my Saviour, and that it was for my sins 



198 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

that he received them ! "There are no wounds, however mortal," 
says St. Bernard, "which may not be healed by the death of 
Jesus." 

Sd Point. The remembrance of the passion of our Lord is 
very useful to us in our spiritual w^arfare, for it genders us vic- 
torious over our enemies, who are the world, the flesh, and the 
devil. The devil tempts us by despair or presumption : despair 
arises from ignorance of the mercy of God, who delivered his oi^ly 
Son to death for the salvation of sinners, and accepted his suffer- 
ings in payment of their debt. He revealed his justice in the 
rigorous treatment which He inflicted on his only, his most holy 
and innocent Son, who, wearing only the likeness of a sinner, and 
being clothed in the shadow of our transgressions, was obliged to 
submit to the weight of his anger and sufler the penalty of our guilt. 

The passion of Jesus enables us to obtain the victory over the 
w^orld, which tempts us only by love and pleasure, fear and grief; 
for who is there that can love pleasure when they behold the 
Saviour of the world consumed by suffering ? who can fear grief 
and pain, when they reflect that Jesus preferred them to all the 
splendor and felicity of Paradise 1 

The flesh is our most dangerous enemy, it is that which tempts 
us both by love and fear ; but the passion of Jesus inspires 
us with horror for all that it loves, and with love for all that it 
hates and fears. When I see the body of my Saviour covered 
with wounds, I am constrained to cry out, with one of the saints, 
hi accents of tender compunction, Behold 'mine, zvithoiit ivounds I 

Oh, Saviour of my soul ! is it surprising that I, who meditate 
so seldom on thy sacred passion, who shrink with horror from the 
contemplation of thy wondrous sufferings, who turn my eyes away 
from thy wounds, should yield to temptations when they assail 
me? But, from henceforth, I will establish my habitation on 
Calvary. There do I wish to live, there do I wish to die. Not 
on Thabor will I begin my Lent, but on this hill of grief! Here 
I will say, " it is good, O Loi;d, for me to be in this place !" Oh, 
spectacle full of profit and consolation, to behold a God expiring 
on a cross for the love of sinners ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Think diligently upon Him that endureth such opposition from 
sinners against himself, that you be not wearied, fainting in your 
minds." Ilehreivs, xii. 

" O, all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any 
sorrow like to my sorrow." Lamentations, i. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. 199 

" For I judged not myself to kno^y any thing among you, but 
Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians, ii. 

" Forget not the kindness of thy surety, for He hath given his 
life for thee." Eccles, xxix. 

" Christ, therefore, having suffered in the fl^sh, be you also 
armed with the same thought." 1 Peter^ iv. 



FIEST SUNDAY IN LENT. 

The Gospel. Matt. iv. 1-11. 

" At that time, Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to 
be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days 
and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And the tempter, 
coming, said to Him : If thou be the Son of God, command that 
these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is 
written : Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took 
Him into the holy city, and set Him upon a pinnacle of the tem- 
ple, and said to Him : If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself 
down, for it is written : He hath given his angels charge over 
Thee ; and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest ^^erhaps 
Thou dash thy feet against a stone. Jesus said to him : It is 
written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again 
the devil took Him up into a very high mountain, and showed 
Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of theni, and 
said to Him : All these will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down. 
and adore me. Then Jesus said to him : Begone, Satan ; for it is 
written : The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only 
shalt thou serve. Then the devil left Him ; and, behold, angels 
came and ministered to Him." 



ON THE CAUSES OF TEMPTATION. 

1st. Point. Why did our Lord suffer himself to be tempted] 
It was in order to vanquish our enemy, to teach us how to com 
bat, to inspire us with courage, to animate us by his example, tc 
humiliate the devil, who triumphed over Adam, to repair the sin 
of our first parents, and to raise them from their fallen condition, 
by giving.their children power to triumph over the devil. 

2d Point. Why am I tempted] It is because you are proud, 



200 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

because you do not guard your senses, especially your eyes and 
ears, because you are under the dominion of bad habits, which 
hold correspondence with the devil ; it is, perhaps, because you 
are not in the order, or state, in which God desires you to be, and 
have not follow^ed your vocation ; it is that your heart is attached 
to creatures, or that you are not sufficiently occupied ; it is that 
you are a man, a sinful man and a Christian, and that you desire 
only happiness and consolation. For a man, being free, is not al- 
Avays determined to do good ; but the sinner, being a slave, is 
under the dominion of him who has conquered. The Christian, 
being a soldier, should never relax his warfare, or slumber at his 
post. If the righteous wish to be crow^ned, they must first be 
proved by temptation. 

3d Point. Why has the devil tempted me ? Because he hates 
the image of God, w^hich you bear in you ; because he is envious 
of man, and wishes him to be in his ow^n place ; because he seeks 
to make you his slave and the companion of his pains. It is for 
this end that he desires to enter into your heart, which is the 
throne of God, to be adored therein ; strives to profane his tem- 
ple and sanctuary ; wishes to drive Jesus Christ from his kingdom, 
which is in you ; washes to crucify Him anew, in your soul, and 
renew^ the^ ignominies of his passion. Do you not assist him in 
his malicious designs ? Do you not satisfy his ambitious schemes ? 
You do this as often as you yield assent to his temptations. 

4th Point. Why does God suffer me to be tempted? For 
His glory and your good. He washes to know if you truly love 
Him^ He wishes you to know yourself, and to make you sensible 
of your infirmities, and constram you to have recourse to Plim ; 
He washes to prove your virtue, to hold you in dependence on 
Him, to prepare you for combat, detach you from creatures, and 
render you worthy of eternal life. 

Oh, Jesus, Saviour of my soul ! since Thou hast been tempted 
I am no longer astonished that I also suffer temptations. It is 
good for me to know Thee and know myself. Temptation is 
necessary and salutary for me, because it renders me humble, 
and prevents me from being presumptuous. Let me be tempted, 
then, my God, and prove me to see if there is any iniquity in me. 
Oh, no, my God, do not tempt me, I know my miseries too w^ell ! 
Deliver me speedily from temptation, at least, strengthen me 
against its assaults, and give nrie courage to vanquish it. Satan 
aims at Thee as well as at thy servant. Defend thyself and thy 
interests, therefore, in me, against thy enemy and mine. 



FIRST MONDAY IN LENT. 201 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" God tempted Abraham." Genesis^ xxii. 
"Fear not; for God is come to prove you." JExodus^ xx. 
" Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart f Acts^ v. 
" God hath tried them and found them worthy of himself." 
Wisdom^ iii. 
" As gold in the furnace He hath proved them." Ibid, 



FIRST MONDAY IN LENT. 



THE PASSION OF OUR LORD IN GENERAL. 

1st Point. Jesus is the true Son of God. He is the holiest of 
men, the greatest of kings, the faithfulest of friends. He never 
injures any, but does good ,to all. And all the world have con- 
spired against Him, all the world have persecuted Him. As He 
suffered for all men, so all men have made Him suffer. Men 
and women of all ranks have contributed to his passion. Jews, 
Gentiles, priests, kings, soldiers and people, men and women, and 
his own disciples even, have all put a hand to his cross, and added 
to his miseries. Are you not of the number ] are you not the 
most cruel of his persecutors ? 

2d Point. Jesus suffered every description of evil in his soul 
and body, mind and heart, memory and imagination, his honor 
and goods, his parents and friends ; in his senses and in all his 
limbs ! He was a man of sorrows, and I wish to be devoted to 
sensual pleasures ! He suffered from all the world, and I wish to 
suffer from none ! He suffered all imaginable evils, and I wish to 
suffer none ! He suffered the worst of evils, and I wish for those 
only which are light ! He suffered voluntarily, I suffer only what 
I cannot avoid ! 

3d Point. Oh, my sweet Jesus ! thy holy passion fills me 
with grief and confusion. It is a c^reat source of orief to me to 
behold Thee suffering for me ! It is a source of great confusion 
to me not to be able to suffer for Thee. Give me grace, at Least, 
to suffer ordinary evils with patience, and by thy divine aid, ren- 
der me capable of supporting, from day to day, those more 
weighty and grievous afflictions which may visit me, and through" 
which, as a fiery ordeal, 1 must pass. 
9* *^ 



202 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

FIRST TUESDAY OF LENT. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Jesus is the victim of all time and of all men; the 
victim of sinners and of the just. As He has loaded himself 
with all our crimes, He has crowned himself with all our suffer- 
ings ! As there are none of his creatures whom He has not 
loved, there are none for wiiom He has not suffered. But He suf- 
fered principally foAnyself, as He bestows more graces on me 
than on others, which* are the fruits of his sufferings. He has 
ever held me in remembrance, and I never think of Him ! I do 
not love Him, or desire to suffer for his sake. 

2d Point. Why did Jesus die? Why did He desire the un- 
speakable anguish and misery that He endured ? Alas ! He died 
to return to me the life which I lost through sin ; He rendered 
himself miserable to secure for me an. eternal felicity ; He deliv- 
ered himself to the powder of his enemies to deliver me from 
mine ! He did not question the judgment of Pilate, He did not 
work miracles as He might have done, to deliver himself from 
their hands. He was crucified* throughout his life. His heart 
was transfixed to the cross with his body. The greatest of all his 
sufferings was in not suffering ; it was his chief desire to be bap- 
tized in his own blood, to drain the chalice of his passion, and die. 

Oh, sweetest Jesus ! Thou wert not displeased with thy ene- 
mies for doing that which Thou didst so much desire, and which 
enabled Thee to suffer without measure. It was only their sins 
and malice which diminished thy satisfaction, and added to thy 
griefs. The torments wiiich they inflicted on Thee cannot be sur- 
passed in cruelty, nor could they make Thee suffer more. They 
loaded Thee with opprobriums and ignominy, and treated Thee 
as the most miserable of all slaves, and the most abandoned of all 
men. Couldst Thou have suffered more than Thou didst suffer, 
or die in more cruel agonies than Thou didst ? 

3d Point. And I avoid all suffering and mortification, and 
would even escape death. I v/ish to live surrounded by delights 
and enjoyments, when, if justice were awarded me, I should at 
this moment be suffering all the pains of hell. Where is it that 
I do not find examples of thy goodness and tender mercy? 
Where is it that I do not discover my own malice and presump* 
lion ? Where is it that my ingratitude is not apparent ] 



FIRST WEDNESDAY IN LENT. 203 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corpor- 
ally." Colossicms, ii. 

'' And Christ died for all." 2 Corinthians^ v. 

" AVho gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us." 
Galatians, i. 

" iVnd I have a. baptism, wherewith I am to be baptized : and 
^ how I am straitened until it is accomplished ?" Si. Luke, xii. 

" From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, there is no 
soundness therein : wounds and bruises and swelling sores : they 
are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented with oil." Isaias^ i. 



FIRST WEDNESDAY IN LENT. 

JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF OLIVES. 

1st Point. Jesus is sorroicful even unto death. What is the 
cause of his sadness 1 Is it the foreknowledge of all that He is to 
suffer ? Alas, no ! it is the sight of my sins, my ingratitude, my 
misery ! I laugh at those things which should cause me to weep ! 
I take pleasure in that which ought to render me miserable. He 
has compassion on me, and I have none on Him. 

2d Point. He is seized with fear to prove that He is man, that 
He is human and infirm like myself He has divested himself 
of his strength, and clothed himself with my weakness ; He has 
given me his courage, and taken my timidity ; He trembles to 
assure me, fears to encourage me, falls to raise me ! Oh, what 
goodness ! what charity ! Where can we find a physician who is 
willing to give his 'health and strength to his patients in exchange 
for their maladies and feebleness ? Oh ! surely, He hath home 
our infirmities aiid carried our sorrows. 

3d Point. Pleasure and grief constitute the causes of the sins 
of men ; desire and fear their passions. Jesus has vanquished 
these two enemies, and imparted to us his strength that we also 
may vanquish them. He has abstained from all pleasure, suffered 
all gciefs, renounced all the desires of nature, triumphed over all 
fears; sweat blood and water from all his veins, and contended 
even unto death. 



204 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

FIRST THURSDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE BLOODY SWEAT. 

1st Point. Consider, my soul, how rude was this first shock of 
his sacred passion to our divine Saviour ! Behold Him kneeling, 
bathed in his own blood, which oozes from every pore. It is the 
fear of his approaching torments ; it is the horror inspired by 
your crimes and the desire for your salvation which excites this 
intolerable combat in his sacred heart. He has concentrated in 
himself all the iniquities of the human race, and conceived for 
them so great a sorrow, that He must have expired had not his 
life been preserved by a miracle. He wrought miracles that He 
might suffer, but none to exempt himself from suffering. And 
I am impatient, because God does not constantly interpose mira- 
cles to exempt me from suffering and dying. 

2d Point. Oh, Saviour of my soul ! this first combat of thine 
has been a bloody and fearful one ! What pains it cost Thee to 
dissipate, by the violence of thy sorrow, the multitude of our 
crimes, which Thou hadst before thine eyes ! I was with Judas 
in the Garden of Gethsemane to seize Thee! I was in thy 
sacred heart to afflict Thee ! My sins were in the world be- 
fore my birth ; they strengthened the arms of the Jews to strike 
and buffet Thee ; and delivered Thee to thy enemies, who tor- 
mented Thee with malicious ingenuity, and afterwards crucified 
Thee! 

3d Point. Oh, divine Master ! Thou hast given to the world 
most noble and beautiful examples, but no one desires to imitate 
them ; Thou hast taught us the most perfect lessons, but no one 
desires to learn them ; Thou goest first to the conflict, but none 
follow Thee. Thy disciples have basely abandoned Thee ; they 
sleep while Thou dost watch ; they enjoy repose while Thou art 
engaged in a bitter warfare ; they afflict instead of consoling Thee ; 
they betray instead of delivering Thee ! 

Oh, what confusion overwhelms me ! Jesus overcomes all the 
alarms and infirmities of nature, clothed as He was with the weak- 
ness of man, and I yield to them, although I am sustained by the 
strength of God ; He goes generously to the conflict with my 
timidity, and I, who am endowed with his courage, fly ! 

Oh precious blood, which watered and bathed this ungrateful 
earth, warm my cold heart, water my arid soul, strengthen my 



FIRST FRIDAY IN LENT. 205 

spirit, and raise up my fallen courage ! I ^vish to enter the com- 
bat with a firm resolution to overcome and resist the rebellious 
movements of nature, even unto the shedding of blood. I will, 
bv the grace and in the strength of God, triumph over my flesh, 
and subject my spirit to divine charity. I will maintain the war- 
fare, until, like Thee, I sweat blood and water. Like Thee will I 
suffer, and drinl^ the chalice of thy bitterness unto death. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The chalice which my T'ather hath given me, shall I not drink 
itf St. Jo/ui^ xyiii. 

" He began to grow sorrow^ful and to be sad. Then He saith 
to them : My soul is sorrowful even unto death : stay you here, 
and watch with me." St Mott. xxvi. 

" And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon 
the ground." aS'^^. Luke^ xxii. 

"Surely He hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sor- 
rows." Isaias^ liii. 



FIRST FRIDAY IN LENT. 

THE PRAYER OF JESUS IN THE GARDEN. 

1st Point. Jesus, in his sadness, withdraws himself from his 
disciples, for the purpose of praying to God his Father to remove 
from his lips the bitter cup of his passion. He prays with rev- 
erence, prostrating himself before Him. He prays with perse- 
verance for several hours. He prays with resignation to the 
Divine will of God his Father. He prays, and is not favorably 
heard, that we may learn to pray and be resigned. 

2d Point. Oh, sweet and tender Jesus ! Thou didst not desire 
to receive a consoling answer to thy prayers, that we might pre- 
vail in ours. Thou didst not obtain favor for thyself, but se- 
cured it for me ! I am heard favorably when I pray, but He was 
not ! He could have commanded legions of angels to csDihe to 
his assistance; but He did not invoke their presence, because He 
wished to die and shed his blood for our salvation ! What char- 
ity ! w^hat compassion ! what mercy ! 

3d Point. Prav in your «!afflict ions. Prav that God may re^ 
move them from you ; pray with humility ; pray with constancy 



206 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. '^ 

and perseverance; pray with resignation ; pray with coDformity 
to the will of God. Weary not in prayer, and murmur not if 
you are not heard. 

r^ropose to yourself all those subjects of fear and sadness which 
distress you, and present them to Jesus, saying : My Lord and 
my Saviour, behold this chalice of confusion which Thou hast pre- 
sented to ine to drink ; remove it far from my ^lips, for it is ex- 
tremely bitter ; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Father 
of mercies ! behold a chalice of grief prepared for me ! Father 
of the poor, behold a chalice of poverty, presented to me by thy 
Divine providence ! Must 1 drain it ? Wilt Thou not in pity 
remove it ] I pray Thee, O my God, to dispense me from this 
bitter draught ; yet not my will, but thine be done. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And going a little further He fell on his face, praying, and 
saying : My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass from me ; 
nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou ivilty — St, Matt. xxvi. 

" My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must 
drink it, thy will be done." — Ibid. 

"• Abba, Father, all things are possible to Thee ; take away this 
chalice from me : but not what I will, but what Thou wilt." — St, 
Mark^ xiv. 

" O my God, I shall cry by day, and Thou wilt not hear : and 
by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me." — Psalm xxi. 



FIRST SATURDAY IN LENT. 

THE DOLORS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

1st Point. all ye that pass by the tvay^ attend^ and see if 
there be any sorrow like to my sorrow. Mary's sorrows are meas- 
ured by her love. Those who love much, suffer in proportion to 
their love. They who have but little love, know but little suffer- 
ing. The Holy Virgin loved her Divine Son with a tender affec- 
tion, which surpassed that of all other mothers for theirs, because 
He was the most amiable of the children of men ; and she loved 
Him by nature, knowledge, and grace. 

He was her only Son, whom she ^ared with no father. She 
had conceived Him by the operation of the Holy Ghost, who is 



FIRST SATURDAY IN LENT. 207 

the spirit of Divine love, and who united them together by an in- 
dissoluble chain of love and sympathy. This Son resembled her 
in holiness, purity, and perfection. She had received infinite 
graces from Him, and thus with her natural love was united a 
love of gratitude, a love of sympathy, and a love of charity. She 
loved Him as God and as man ; as her Father and her Son ; as 
her Creator and Redeemer. There never existed any creature so 
amiable as Jesus ; there never has been known love comparable 
to Mary's, which was better, more tender and perfect, than the 
love of all mothers who have ever lived. 

2d Point. Her grief was measured and augmented by the pro- 
phetic knowledge she had of all that He was to suffer. Not only 
had the Prophets foretold his passion and death, but He, also, had 
discoursed with her, and instructed her concerning them. It was 
all — the ignominy, the buffeting, the scourging, the bloody sweat, 
the spitting, the cross, the spear — apparent to her from the hour 
of his birth. She meditated on the griefs which awaited her Di- 
vine Son, and examined in her thoughts all the circumstances at- 
tendant thereon. Consider the anguish of this most afflicted and 
tender mother, when her Son separated himself from her, and 
bade her a last adieu ! As the Son and the mother had but one 
and the same heart, she felt all that He endured. The wounds 
which were inflicted on his body, were imprinted on her sacred 
heart. What a spectacle ! A Son expiring on a cross, and a 
mother standing bv, the mute and agonized witness of his suffer- 
ings ! all ye that j^ciss by the way^ attend^ and see if there he 
any sorrow like to my sorrow. 

3d Point. Admire the virtues of the most Holy Virgin. What 
resignation to the will of God does she not exhibit, amidst so 
many afflictions and sorrows ! ^Yhat humility, to follow her Son 
to the place of suffering and ignominy, and wish to be recognized 
by all the Avorld as his Mother ! What courage, to behold Him 
expiring without evincing the least sign of impatience ; without al- 
lowing herself to be bowed down by her grief, but to remain 
standing by his cross ! What charity, to consent to the death of 
a child so dear to her soul, to satisfy his will and desire 1 What 
love for men, to immolate her Son on this bloody altar, for their 
salvation ! 

Oh, Mother of grace and mercy ! since thou hast loved me so 
much as to deliver thy only Son to the painful and ignominious 
death of the cross, I will love and serve thee all the days of my 
life; I will offer thee only praise and benedictions all my life; I 
will, by thy most holy example, make a continual sacrifice to God 



208 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of all that I hold most dear to me ; I will endeavor to imitate 
thy virtues, of which I will make a chaplet, to crown my heart 
continually with, in thy honor. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his Mother." >S'^. 
Jolin^ xix. 

" And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts 
thoughts may be revealed." St, Luke^ ii. 

" For my sighs are many and my heart is sorrowful." Lamen- 
tations^ ii. Thau. 

" Woman, behold thy Son. After that He saith to the disciple : 
Behold thy Mother." SL John, xix. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 

The Gospel. St. Matt. xvii. 1-9. 

'' At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and 
John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain 
apart. And He was transfigured before them. And his face did 
shine as the sun : and his garments became white as snow.. And, 
behold, there appeared to them Moses, and Elias talking with him. 
Then Peter, answering, said to Jesus : Lord, it is good for us to 
be here : if Thou wilt, let us here make three tabernacles, one for 
Thee, one for Moses, and one foi Elias. And as he was yet speak- 
ing, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo ! a voice 
•out of the cloud saying : This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased : hear ye him. And the disciples, hearing, fell upon 
their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and 
touched them, and said to them : Arise, and be not afraid. And 
when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus. 
And as they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them, 
savins^ : Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen 
from the dead." 

ON THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

1st Point. Jesus is transfigured on Thabor, on Calvary, and on 
our altars. The first is a transfiguration of glory ; the second of 
ignominy; the third of love. To be transfigured with Jesus on 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. 209 

Thabor, we must be transfigured with Him on Calvary. If you 
suffer with Him you shall reign with Him; if you take part m 

his ignominies, you shall also have part in his glory. 

2d Point. The third transfiguration is that of the body of Jesus 
on our altars. His vestments there are as white as snow, and his 
face a tliou;5and times brighter than the sun ; but it is covered with 
a cloud or veil,' for what human eye could support the ineffable 
splendor of his countenance? It is here that Moses and Elias, 
that is, the will and understandinor converse toc^ether with Him of 
all the extremes of love and grief that He suffered for us in Jeru- 
salem, since this divine mystery represents the sacrifice of his 
bitter passion and death, and was instituted by Him as a com- 
memoration thereof 

3d Point. The fourth transfiguration is that which takes place 
in holy communion ; wherein a man is transformed into Jesus Christ. 
He is no longer a man but a God ; no longer a sinner, but a child 
of God. The Eternal Father regards him with complacency and 
salutes him, as He did his divine Son on Thabor: '''This is my he- 
loved Son, in whom I am ivell 'pleased ^ He who was before a sin- 
ner, being clothed in the real presence of the body and divinity of 
Jesus, is thereby rendered holy and just ! They are one body, 
and one spirit ; they are two united in one flesh. Let your lives, 
then, correspond with the great privilege you enjoy, of being trans- 
formed into Jesus. Let your thoughts be the thoughts of Jesus, 
your words be the words of Jesus ; that God the Father, beholding 
you, may say : " This is my beloved Son, in whom lam well pleased?'^ 

4th Point. The fifth transfiguration is that of a soul in praver. 
His heart burns with a celestial flame. Moses and Elias, the law 
and the prophets, converse with him of the passion of Jesus. The 
powers of his soul, filled with the sweet rest of contemplation, cry 
out with extasy. It is good, O Lord, for us to be here ; here let 
us remain always. I have had great difhculty in ascending the 
height, I have not spared myself in the exercise of mortification, 
and I have, through many toils, prepared my spirit by meditation ; 
but the labor, the sweat, and the pains are forgotten in my presenb 
happiness, and in the extreme repose that I enjoy. 

5th Point. The last transfiguration is that of happy souls y;^ 
heaven. " When lue behold God^''' says St. John, " we shall be 
like Himy When, after the sufferings of this life, we shall have 
been recei\xd into the glorious company of those who reign on 
this beautiful Thabor, our eternal and joyful song shall be: '• Oh, 
it is (jood for us to be he/'e P^ There is nothing left me to wish 
for. I have found an everlastincjr rest. I have received a ojlorious 



210 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

recompense for my poor labors. But, Christian soul, while you 
are waiting to sing this beautiful canticle in heaven, be contented, 
wherever God may place you on earth. In whatever state you 
may be, it is good for you to be therein^ since God has placed you 
there ; whether it be in poverty, sickness, humiliations, o*r confu 
sion, Jesus is with you, and will remain with you, if -'you do his 
holy will. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But we all, beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, 
are transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by 
the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinihia>is^ iii. 

" We are the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also : heirs in- 
deed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ : yet so if we suffer with 
Him, that we may be also glorified with Him." Ronians^ viii. 

'' If so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet." 1 Peter ^ ii. 

" Thou art beautiful, O my love, sweet and comely a^ Jerusa- 
lem." Canticles^ vi. 

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corin- 
thia7is^ vi. 

" How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! My soul 
longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord." Psalm Ixxxiii. 



SECOND MONDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE TREASON OF JUDAS. 

1st Point. Judas was an avaricious, ungrateful, deceitful, and 
impious man. Lie was instigated by avarice to sell his divine 
Master. An avaricious man is ready to sell his soul and his God 
for silver. What ingratitude, to betray and deliver to his ene- 
mies, Him from whom he had received so many blessings ! 
What treachery to betray Him with a kiss ! What impiety and 
sacrilege, to sell, for vile and filthy lucre, the most holy and sacred 
bein«: on earth ! 

2d Point. An inordinate love of money caused Judas the eter- 
nal loss of his soul. This passion stifled his faith, hope, and 
charity. It obscured his spirit and debauched his heart. It do>. 
stroyed all those sentiments of piety which had been imparted to 
him by the presence of Jesus, by his conversation, examples, mir- 
acles, and graces. Who will not tremble when they remember 



SECOND MONDAY IN LENT. 211 

that an Apostle became an apostate ? Who Avill not fear when 
they behold a piUar of the Church overthrown and dashed to 
pieces? Who will dare assure themselves of salvation, when 
they reflect that a man chosen by God himself was transformed 
into a demon and precipitated into hell ? 

Presume not on your graces ; Judas had received more than 
you have. Presume not on your inspirations ; Judas was more 
enlightened than you. Presume not on your miracles; Judas 
wrought more than you have done. Presume not on your strength ; 
Judas possessed a greater and more sensible protection than you 
do. Presume not on your election ; Judas was chosen by God 
himself Presume not on the signs of your predestination • those 
of Judas were more apparent than yours. 

3d Point. Judas was damned. Why ? Because he allowed 
himself to be possessed of an infernal passion ; because he did not 
destroy it in its birth; because he did not generously resist its first 
assaults ; because in the beginning he was guilty of little frauds 
and light infidelities, which became great because he was envious 
of the spiritual blessings of his fellow-creatures ; because he con- 
cealed his avarice with a veil of pretended charity ; because he 
did not conceive a true repentance for his sins, but abandoned 
himself to despair. 

Oh, it is a dangerous thing to abandon one's self to an evil pas- 
sion ! Oh, how little sins should make us tremble ! Oh, 
these light infidelities are formidable enemies, and throw us into 
great disorder! Oh, there are many Judases in the world, who 
every day betray Jesus with a kiss, which they give Him at the 
holy table. How often have you betrayed Him ? How m.any 
times have you not sold Him to the devil for a little pleasure, a 
vile interest, an imaginary glory ! Do not despair as he did, but 
reject the offered price ; return to his sweet society, and attach 
yourself more strongly to your divine Master, who would, in his 
tender compassion, even have given his grace to Judas, if he had 
acknowledged his sin and implored his forgiveness. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Friend, whereto art thou come 1" St. Matt. xxvi. 

" Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss f St, 
LuJce, xxii. ^ 

'• He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall 
betray me." St. Matt. xxvi. 

" There is not a more wicked thing than to love money : for 
such a one setteth even his own soul to sale." Eccles, x. 



212 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of 
iniquity : he will not be satisfied till he consume his own soul." 
Ecclesiasticits^ xiv. 

"For they that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into 
the snares of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful 
desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 Timo- 
thy^ vi. 



SECOND TUESDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE COURAGE OF JESUS AFTER HIS PRAYER IN THE GARDEN. 

1st Point. Jesus, desolate and full of extreme anguish, arose 
from prayer to seek some kind friend who would sympathize in 
his sorrows, and administer consolation to his afflicted spirit, but 
there was none to whom He could address himself He ap- 
proached his disciples, but they were sleeping : He then returned, 
and again had recourse to prayer, but received no response from 
his eternal Father. Restless in his agony. He came once more 
to his disciples and said, '''What! could ye not vmtch one hour 
with me? Watch ye and i:iray^ that ye enter not into temptation. 
The spirit indeed is willing^ but the fie sh is wealed Is it not to 
you. Christian soul, that these complaints and reproaches are ad- 
dressed 1 Do you not sleep when you should watch and pray ? 
Are you not afraid that you will fall into temptation? 

2d Point. Jesus prays the third time, and is not heard. Then, 
falling into extreme agony, God his Father sent an angel to 
strengthen and console liim. Learn from this to despise the con- 
solations of men, and have recourse to God in all your afflictions ; 
to pray to Him in fears and doubts, and implore his succor and 
protection in dangers. Prayer is the best remedy for a soul that 
is sick, a sweet consolation for the afflicted, strength for the weak, 
couriage for the timid, light for the blind, a refuge for sinners, 
the buckler of faith, the life, nourishment, treasure and salvation 
of all Christians. Why is it, then, that you pray so little ? Why 
is it that you abandon prayer, or pray with so little fervor and so 
many distractions ? 

3d Point. Jesus, strengthened by prayer, came to his disciples, 
and said to them : " Sleep on now^ and take your rest ; behold^ the 
hour is at hand^ and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the 
hands of sinners. Rise^ let us go : behold^ he is at hand that ivill 



SECOND WEDNESDAY IN LENT. 213 

betray me?'' Whence obtained He this courage ? Through prayer. 
Imitate your Master; accompany your King; follow your Cap- 
tain. When it is necessary to resist a temptation, or vanquish a 
repugnance of nature, say tc your base ai^d sleepy heart: Rise, 
and let us go to death or to prison, go to be reconciled with 
those whom we have offended, and assure those who have injured 
us of forgiveness ; rise, ye who sleep, and Jesus Christ will en- 
lighten you, strengthen you, defend you, render you victorious 
over your enemies, and crown you with glory after death. ' 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" In the day of my trouble I sought God, wdth my hands lifted 
up to Him in the night : and I was not deceived." Psalm Ixxxvi. 

" Behold, there is no help for me m myself, and my familiar 
friends also are departed from me." e/b^, vi. 

" Simon, sleepest thou ? Couldst thou not watch one hour." 
Mark^ xiv. 

" Behold, he is at hand that will betray me." MatL xxvi. 



SECOND W^EDNESDAY IN LENT. 

JESUS IS TAKEN BY HIS ENEMIES. 

1st Point. Jesus, addressing the soldiers, said : Whom seek ye? 
They replied, Jesus of Nazareth ! There are some who, like the 
Jews, only seek Jesus to take Him, outrage and crucify Him ! 
There are others w^ho seek Him only to love and serve Him, but 
the number is small. Whom do you seek in your designs, your 
devotions, and prayers? Is it Jesus or yourself? Is it his 
honor and glory, or your own ? Oh, if you seek God with a pure 
heart, your happiness and contentment will abound until the 
measure of your joy is. filled to overflowing! All of your 
troubles, anxieties, and doubts arise from your seeking yourself 
instead of the will and glory of your heavenly Father. 

I have sought Him, but I have not found Him. Why is this? 
It is because you do not seek Him at the proper time or place. 
You seek Him in the garden of delights, and He is only to be 
found in the field of conflicts and sorrows, Vv-here He sweats ^reat 
drops of blood and water. You seek Him in palaces, and He is 
only to be found in a stable, in the temple, or on the cross! 



214 DEVOUT MEDITATI015S. 

You seeli Him after He has stood knocking for a long time at the 
door of your heart, but it is too late ; He grew weary of wait- 
ing;- his locks were heavy with the dews of night, and He has 
gone away. You seek Him coldly and with indifference. He is 
strong and swift as a giant : it is necessary to run that you may 
overtake Him. 

2d Point. Jesus said to the soldiers, / am. He^ and they went 
backwards and fell to the ground. What a Captain ! who maketh 
his enelTiies fall to the earth by a single word ! What will be his 
power when He comes to judge them, if He is so powerful when 
they come to judge Him ? • Oh, how terrible it will be to the 
wicked at the hour of death to hear Him say, / am He whom 
you have betrayed, outraged, and crucified ! But how full of 
sweetness and consolation He will be to the just, who, having 
lived piously, are received by Him after death with these welcome 
words : Fear not, / am He who redeemed you ; / am He whom 
you have served, honored, and obeyed ! 

Fear not, He will say to you in your temptations, / am He 
"who has proved you, visited you, and sent this or that affliction to 
try you, and I will deliver you. 

3d Point. The just fall as well as the wicked, but in a different 
manner. The just fall into venial sins, the wicked into mortal 
sins. The just fall through surprise and frailty, and the wicked 
through premeditation and malice. The just fall forward on their 
faces as the Apostles did on Mount Thabor, the wicked fill back- 
wards like the Jews in Qethsemane. The just know wherein 
they fall, and quickly raise themselves ; but the wicked know not 
when they fall, and fear to rise, or think it too difficult and trouble- 
some a task to do so. 

Oh my soul, what do you seek % Is it Jesus of Nazareth % Be- 
hold your divine Master in the hands of the soldiers, who bind 
Him with thongs, buffet Him, and treat Him with violence ! Do 
not abandon Him in his desolation as the other disciples did, but 
remain with Him even unto the end. They said, at the Last 
Supper, that they would never abandon Him, but go with Him 
to prison and to death, notwithstanding which, they basely for- 
sook Him when He v/as seized by his enemies. Do you not often 
act thus? What pious and tender protestations have you not 
made to Him in holy communion, and yet how frequently have 
you not betrayed and abandoned Him in the hour of temptation ? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Whom seek ye ?" St, John^ xviii. 



SECOND THURSDAY IN LENT. -215 

"You shall seek me, and you shall die in your sins.'^ St. 
John^ viii. 

"I sought him, and found him not." Canticles^ iii. 

" As soon, therefore, as he said : / om He : they went backward, 
and fell to the ground." St, John^ xviii. 



SECOND THURSDAY IN LENT. 

*- 

ON THE BLOW THAT JESUS RECEIVED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE 

HIGH PRIEST. 

1st Point. What greater insult can be offered to a noble or 
royal personage than to strike them ? Jesus is a person of infi- 
nite dignity, and He received a blow from the hand of a poor in- 
solent slave, who had come with the Jews into the garden of Ol- 
ives, and, being wounded by one of the disciples, was cured by his 
Divine power. He received it in a great assemblage, composed 
of the priests and princes of the people. He received it in the 
manner of a correction, as if He had committed some grievous 
fault, and been wanting in proper respect to the high priest. He 
received it with extreme patience. He asked why He was struck, 
lest by his silence He should give them cause to believe that He 
consented to their accusations, and acknowledged himself guilty. 

2d Point. Jesus desired to be struck : 1st. To repair the insult 
offered to God by the first man who disobeyed his word, and in 
a manner contradicted Him. 2d. To repair, by his ignominies, 
the shame and confusion of our nature, which was transformed 
by the sin of Adam into a degraded and sensual one, as He re- 
paired our infirmities by his weakness, and delivered us from the 
sting pf death by dying. 3d. To afford us an admirable example 
of sweetness and patience, by suffering so great an outrage with- 
out uttering a threat against his enemies, or drawing vengeance 
on them as He could have done. 

3d Point. You have enemies. What injury have they done 
you ? Is it comparable to that which was inflicted on the Son of 
God 1 Are you of more account, more innocent and holy than 
He is ? How many sins have you committed? As often as you 
have sinned, so often have you struck Jesus. And do you pre- 
sume, after this, to complain of the ill-treatment you receive from 
men who are your equals and superiors ? Do you desire to bo 



216. DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

revenged on your enemies ? to return evil for evil ? Do you dare 
to murmur against the providence of God, who has given you a 
blow on the cheek by the hand of the wicked, in punishment for 
the outrages you have offered Him ? 

Oh Lord, I will say nothing, but keep silence, believing that it 
is Thou who hast struck me by the hands of my enemies. Thou 
dost neither desire their sin, nor co-operate therein ; but it is thy 
will that I should suffer the pain that I have merited by mine. It 
is not Satan who has caused me to suffer this loss ; it is not men 
who have outraged me ; it is the hand of God that has chastised 
me. Oh, I will submissively bear the weight of his anger, be- 
cause my offences deserve it. I wi^tt be silent and not complain, 
because Thou, O Lord, hast afflicted and humiliated me. I turn 
to Thee my other cheek, and beseech Thee to spare me not in this 
life, that I may receive pardon in the life to come. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good 
things : and my sorrow was renewed." Psalm xxxviii. 

" I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because Thou hast 
done it." Ibid. 

" The hand of the Lord hath touched me." Joh^ xix. 

" He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him : he shall be 
filled with reproaches." Lamentations^ iji. 

" My enemies have chased me, and caught me like a bird, with- 
out cause." Ibid. 



SECOND FRIDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE OUTRAGES THAT OUR LORD RECEIVED IN THE HOUSE OF 

CAIAPHAS. 

1st Point. Consider the outrages and insults our Lord sub- 
mitted to from his enemies, in the house of Caiaphas. He was 
spit upon ; He was blindfolded ; He was treated as a false pro- 
phet ; He was declared a blasphemer, and judged worthy of death. 

You do the sanrie whenever you offend God. You repeat these 
outrages whenever you offeud or scandalize your neighbor, elesus 
Christ declares that He suffers whatever evil is done to the least of 
his disciples, as the head feels whatever injury is inflicted on the 
smallest member of the body. It is, then, striking Jesus Christ 



SECOND SATURDAY IN LENT. 217 

to strike your neighbor ; it is hating Jesus Christ to hate your 
neighbor; it is scoffing at Jesus Christ to scoff at your neighbor. 

2d Point. Suffer, like Jesus, the most injurio\is words that 
may be said to you. Suffer with Jesus all outrages that are 
offered to you. Are you greater than He is ? Are you more 
holy and innocent than He is ? Jesus suffered, and you would 
escape suffering ! Jesus did not take revenge on his enemies, and 
you seek revenge on yours ! 

3d Point. Oh, Jesus my Saviour! do I not deserve to be 
despised and maltreated by creatures, since I have had the inso- 
lence to despise and maltreat Thee? I deservedly merit their 
blows, since I have so often raised my hand against Thee ! I hear 
Thee declared guilty, and I wish to be thought innocent ! I be- 
hold Thee unjustly condemned to death, and I shrink, with pain, 
from the thought of dying ! Oh, my sweet Saviour, I wish to die 
for Thee, since Thou hast given thy life for me. I will bear with 
patience the injurious words and actions of those who hate me, since 
Thou hast suffered the most base and malicious treatment for me. 

Oh, dear Jesus, silence me when I complain of the malice of 
those who desire to harm me ; restrain me when angry impulses 
urge me to speak. When I have offended or injured my neighbor 
say to me : Why do you strike me ? why do you dishonor me ? 
I hold as done to myself that which is done to the least of my 
members. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" One oT the servants standing by gave Jesus a blow." Si. 
John^ xviii. 

'• Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted Him ; and others 
struck his face with the palms of their hands." St, Matt xxvi. 

" Why strikest thou mef St. John^ xviii. 

" He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace : because he hath 
taken it up upon himself." Lamentations^ iii. 



SECOND SATURDAY IN LENT. 



ON THE SEVEN STATIONS OF OUR LOto's PASSION. 
FIRST STATION. 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, Thou didst sweat blood and water 
in the Garden of Olives, at the sight of my sins and thy ap- 

10 



218 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

preaching torments, and strip thyself of thy strength to assume 
our infirmities! I adore Thee, all bathed as Thou art in thy 
sacred blood. * I thank thy most tender and sacred heart for 
being thus afflicted for me; I detest all sins that have caused 
Thee so much sadness and bitter anguish, and I am resolved 
rather to die than offend Thee again. Give me grace to conceive, 
like Thee, so poignant a sorrow for my sins, that I may resist, 
even unto death, the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the 
devil ; and that, in all things, I may conform to the will of thy 
Father, howsoever my nature may be opposed to it. 

SECONDSTATION. 

Oh, Jesus my Lord, Thou hast been struck and mal treated in 
the house of Caiaphas. I thank and adore Thee for having suf- 
fered these injuries, and this confusion for me. Alas ! how often 
have I not struck and outraged Thee in the person of my neighbor ! 
I most humbly beseech thy pardon, and am resolved, from hence- 
forth, to bear all injuries with patience, and offend Thee no more 
in this way, by thought, judgment, word, will or action. 

THIRD STATION. 

Oh,* Jesus my King! Herod and the Jews despised Thee when 
they preferred a thief, a seditious man and a murderer, to Thee. 
Vouchsafe to grant me thy forgiveness for having so often pre- 
ferred the suggestions of the devil, and the love of miserable crea- 
tures, to thyself. Thou shalt ever reign the sovereign of my 
heart, and I am resolved to lose my life, my possessions and 
reputation, rather than offend or dishonor Thee. Forbid, dear 
Lord, that I should ever again prefer the enemy of souls to Thee, 
and grant me grace to fly from every occasion of sin that would 
cause me to treat Thee with contempt, and trample under foo\ 
the fruits of thy sacred passion. 

FOURTH STATION. 

Oh Jesus ! the most chaste and pure of all men, whose inno- 
cent flesh was torn with scourges in the house of Pilate, in order 
to expiate the criminal pleasures we take in ours, I know it is for 
me Thou hast suffered these cruel torments. I am filled with sor- 
row when I behold those wounds, which have been inflicted on 
Thee by the indulgence of my sensuality. I implore Thee by the 
pangs of thy bitter passion to sanctify me, both soul and body, 
wash and cleanse me of every impurity in thy precious blood, and 



SECOND SATURDAY IN LENT. 219 

never permit me again to be soiled by sm, or rene^Y thy ignomi- 
nies by my guilt. 

FIFTHSTATION. 

Oh Jesus, the greatest of kings ! Thou hast been cro^vned with 
thorns, and borne on thy shoulders the royal marks of thy prin- 
cipality, and I acknowledge and adore Thee as my Lord and 
sovereign. And since there is no part of thy body that is not 
covered with wounds, I desire to take no pleasure in mine, but 
to live always in a state of mortification and grief, in order to be 
a living member and true subject of thine. 

SIXTH STATION. 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour ! for me Thou wast fastened to the cross, 
whereon Thou didst shed every drop of thy precious blood to de- 
liver me from the power of the devil, whose slave I was. I 
thank Thee for the incomparable love Thou hast borne me, and 
for the innumerable sufferings Thou hast endured. With tender 
awe I salute thy wounded hands and feet. I adore thy sacred 
heart, which was opened for the love of me, and I am resolved 
sooner to die than to crucify Thee again by mortal sin. 

SEVENTHSTATION. 

• Oh Jesus, my life and my hope ! who didst die for me, and 
was abandoned in thy last hour, that I may not be abandoned in 
mine ! Oh, Lamb without blemish, who wast immolated for the 
salvation of men ! Oh victim of love, who wast consumed in a 
funereal pile of grief ! Oh Holy of holies ! Oh King of kings ! 
What can I do to express my gratitude for such infinite goodness 1 
1 can only die for Him who died for me. 

I believe that Thou art indeed my Saviour : I should despair, 
if I were to doubt it for a moment. As Thou hast given thy life 
for me I will humbly hope Thou wilt forgive all my sins, and 
admit me after death into thy glorious presence. I detest my 
crimes, the cause of thy passion and death. I will, from this mo- 
ment, suffer all things with patience, that Thou mayst never die 
in my heart, since such a death would be more sensibly felt by 
Thee, and be more ignominious than that of the cross. I beseech 
Thee to pardon all who have offended me. I offer myself to thy 
holy mother as her child, and desire, with all my heart, to imitate 
her virtues, and die in her arms. Into thy hands I commend my 
spirit, and beseech Thee, by the bitter abandonment Thou didst 



220 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

suffer on the cross, to assist me at the hour of my death and re- 
ceive my soul in peace, that I may behold Thee, praise and bless 
Thee, through all eternity. Amen."* 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 

The Gospel. St, Lule, xi. 14-28. 

" At that time, Jesus was casting out a devil, and the same 
v^\as dumb. And Avhen He had cast out the devil, the dumb spoke, 
and the multitude were in admiration at it. But some of them 
said : He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. 
And others, tempting, asked of Him a sign of heaven. But He, 
seeing their thoughts, said to them : Every kingdom divided against 
itself shall be brought to desolation, and house upon house shall 
fall. And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his 
kingdom stand ? because you say that through Beelzebub I cast 
out devils. Now, if I cast out devils by Beelzebub ; by whom do 
your children cast the moutl Therefore they shall be your judges. 
But if I, by the finger of God, cast out devils; doubtless the king- 
dom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed 
keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth. 
But if a stronger than he come upon him, and overcome him, he 
will take away all his armor wherein he trusted, and will distri- 
bute his spoils. He that is not with me is against me ; and he 
that gathereth not with me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit 
is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, 
seeking rest ; and not finding, he «aid : I will return into my 
house, whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth it 
swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him seven 
other spirits more wicked than himself, and entering in, they dwell 
there. And the last state of that man becometh worse than the 
first. And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain 
woman from the crowd lifting up her voice said to Him : Blessed 
is the womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that gave Thee suck. 
But He said : Yea, rather blessed are they who hear the word of 
God, and keep it." 

♦ This devotion can be recited every Friday during the year, and every day during the 
holy sacrifice of mass, also before confession and communion, but above all, in sickness. 
Pause after each station, and make with all the heart the acts just read. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. 221 

ON RELAPSES INTO SIN. 

1st Point. The oftener a sin is pardoned, the less excusable it 
becomes. As sins increase in number, so do they increase in 
malice. The second fall is dangerous : old wounds are incurable. 
Sins pass into habit, and from being habitual become necessary, 
after which they grow more frequent and heinous ; then habit be- 
comes stronger ; grace more feeble ; co-operation more difficult ; 
the spirit more incapable of seeing ; the will more infirm ; the 
passions more rebellious ; devils more powerful, and their power 
more tyranical. 

What ingratitude, to offend God, after having received so many 
blessings ! What contempt, to abandon Him after He has so 
often pardoned and received us ! What treachery, to betray Him 
after having made so many promises ! What malice, to outrage 
and crucify Him in your heart, after He has bestowed so many 
fijraces on you ! 

2d Point. Is it thus that you mock God ? Is it thus that you 
despise his love, laugh at his patience, and abuse his goodness, 
presume on his mercy, make war with his sweetness, and waste 
his graces ? Is it thus that you trample under foot the blood of 
Jesus Christ, and render his passion fruitless, stifle his Spirit, 
drive Him from your heart, and prefer the service of the devil to 
his? 

Afler abundance comes poverty ; after rain, dry weather ; after 
the heat of summer, the ice of winter ; after day, night ; after con- 
solation, affliction ; after grace, chastisement ; after love, con- 
tempt; after patience, anger; after insults and injuries, venge- 
ance ! 

3d Point. Oh, my God, my Father, and my King ! how can 
I presume to appear before Thee after so many treasons and in- 
fidelities, after so much contempt and ingratitude? My sins 
have, in a manner, changed my nature. Those which, formerly, 
were my weaknesses, are now a species of contempt, ingratitude 
and malice. Those that were formerly but the involuntary result 
of my evil passions, are now impenitence and hardness of heart. 
Those that were pardonable fiiults, are now crimes without ex 
cuse, and second falls without remedy. 

The number of my sins is infinite ; the weight of them insup- 
portable, and their malice without excuse. Oh my God, I am re- 



222 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS 

solved to forsake my evil habits, and tlie proximate occasions of 
sin ; I will frequent the sacraments, and spend the rest of my life 
in penance ! Oh my God, deprive me of life if I do not desire to 
be converted. Take me from the world, if I wish not to break 
the ties that bind me to it. Bestow no more graces on me, if I 
am so miserable as to abuse them. I ask only grace to weep for 
my sins, and do penance for them as long as I live. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" It is impossible^ for those, who were once enlightened, have 
tasted also the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy 
Ghost, have moreover tasted the good word of God, and the pow- 
ers of the world to come, and are fallen away ; to be renewed 
again by penance." Hebrews^ vi. 

" For if I build up again the things which I have destroyed, I 
make mvself,a transgressor." Galatians, ii. 

" Behold, thou art made whole : sin no more, lest some worse 
thing happen to thee." St, John, v. 

" And the last state of that man becometh worse than the fijst." 
St, Luke, xi. 



THIRD MONDAY IN LENT. 



ON THE FALL OF ST. PETER. 



1st Point. St. Peter denied his Divine Master, who had pre- 
ferred him to the other Apostles, and appointed him chief bishop 
of his Church. He denied Him, after having made the most solemn 
protestations of love and fidelity. He denied Him, as his God and 
Master, in these words : " I know not the many He denied Him 
thrice. He denied Him with curses and imprecations. Behold the 
progress of evil ! Behold how from slight faults one may fall into 
great and dreadful sins. Be compassionate towards this Apostle, 
while you are astonished at his fall, and seek the causes thereof. 

2d Point. St. Peter fell because the love that he bore our 
Lord was lukewarm, and he followed Him afar off. A soul that 
is lukewarm does not take long to fall into great sins, for luke- 
warmness is a mixture of charity and concupiscence, grace and 
nature, devotion and coldness, which, like tepid water, partly cold 

* That 13 to say, difficult. 



THIRD MONDAY IN LENT. 223 

and partly warm, cannot remain together without one or the other 
of its contrary qualities being destroyed. Concupiscence, in a 
measure, increases and charity diminishes. That which does not 
advance goes backwards. Besides which, the soul must have 
consolation, and cannot live without it ; and that which is luke- 
warm, not being of heaven, it is compelled to seek it on earth, 
and of earthly things, and having no fervor, its venial sins lead 
quickly to those that are mortal. Added to this, these infidelities 
cause God to withdraw many of his graces, and the devil over- 
comes, with ease, an opponent so feeble and languishing. Is not 
this vour state ? Is this not the orio-in of your fall ? 

3d Point. St. Peter fell because he depended too much on his 
own strength. He did not know how necessary was the assistance 
of Divine grace to him ; he did not understand his own weakness ; 
he v/as filled with pride and presumption ; he said, in his fervor, 
that nothing could move him, and even seemed to exalt himself 
over the other Apostles when he declared, that if all of them should 
abandon Jesus, yet he would never be wanting in fidelity to Him. 
He was so possessed with a good opinion of himself that, when 
his Divine Master told him that he would deny Him thrice, he 
did not believe Him ; he declared that he would not, as if the 
Son of God could deceive himself. Oh, it is tvulf a dangerous 
thing to presume on our own* strength, and trust only to our good 
resolutions. Is not this the cause of your fall 1 Do you not trust 
too nmch your heart and mind, your passions and weaknesses '^ 
Do you have frequent recourse to God '? Do you pray to Him 
continually to guide and defend you ? 

4th Point. St. Peter fell because he threw himself rashly into 
the occasions of sin. He went into the house of Caiaphas, not to 
defend his Master, but to see all that should happen, and hear all 
that was said. He fought among the soldiers, and was arrayed 
against them. He was, apparently, intrepid,- until the voice of a 
servant frightened him ; that of another made him tremble ; that 
of a soldier overthrew him, and made him deny his Master, with 
curses and imprecations. 

Fly from the companionship of the wicked, unless you desire 
to become like them. What safeguard have you to preserve 
your chastity among the lewd and immodest? How can you 
remain sober in the society of drunkards, or humble with those 
who are haughty ? You must surely resemble those with whom 
you associate; if not, you will soon become like them. You have 
grace to withdraw from them, but no promise of its continuing 
with you, if you remain with coixipanions who are evil. 



224 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen : and do 
penance, and do the first works. Or else I come to thee, and will 
remov^e thy candlestick out of its place, except thou do penance." 
Apocalypse^ ii. 

" Therefore, let him that thinketh himself to stand, take heed 
lest he fall." 1 Corinthians^ x. 

" Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the 
ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of 
pestilence." Psalm i. 



THIRD TUESDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE REPENTANCE OF ST. PETER, AND THE DESPAIR OF JUDAS 

ISCARIOT. 

1st Point. Judas betrayed his Divine Master, and Peter denied 
him. Judas, in despair, destroyed his own life ; and Peter was 
converted. From whence comes this difference ? Is it because 
Jesus looked at Peter ? But lie spoke to Judas ; He warned him 
of his crime ; He threatened him with terrible chastisements ; He 
treated him as a friend, and assailed his heart with all the inspira- 
tions and charms of Divine love. Notwithstanding these facts, 
St. Peter was converted, and Judas despaired. Oh, judgments of 
God, terrible is the effect of your visitation on men ! Oh, malice 
of the human heart ! Oh, admirable results of the mercy and 
justice of God ! 

2d Point. Judas was lost because he did not desire to be saved. 
He had powerful graces before he sinned, he had the grace of re- 
pentance after he had sinned, but these graces were of no avail, 
because he abused them ; resisted them, and was hardened in evil ; 
because he had communicated unworthily, and was too much at- 
tached to the things of the world ; because he sinned through 
malice, knowing the sanctity of Him whom he betrayed, and 
through ingratitude, delivering up to death Him from whom he 
had received so many graces. Oh, it is a perilous thing to aban- 
don one's self to evil passions, to resist the grace of God and sin 
with knowledge ! 

8d Point. St. Peter was raised because he fell through fear and 
weakness. He did not renounce his ]\Ia^tiu- in his heart, although 



THIRD WEDNESDAY IN LENT. 225 

he denied Him with his lips. His apostasy was criminal, but ex- 
cusable, as it was caused by terror, s-urprise, and unexpected events. 
He always loved his Divine Master, but fear triumphed over love. 
It was his first fault. The dangers which threatened him, of being 
seized and delivered into the hands of the infuriated Jews, pre- 
vented his reflecting on his crime, hearing the cock that crowed, 
or remembering the prediction of Jesus Christ. As soon as he 
was conscious of his fault he did penance, and did not, like Judas, 
despair. 



THIRD WEDNESDAY IN LENT. 



ei 



ON THE CAUSE OF THE CONVERSION OF ST. PETER. 

1st Point. St. Peter was restored to grace, because our dear 
Jesus turned his Divine countenance towards him, and looked him 
in the face; called to his recollection the prediction He had 
uttered ; opened his eyes to discern his fault, and touched his 
heart to weep and do penance. The look that Jesus cast on him 
was an arrow of divine love, which pierced his soul, and drew from 
his eyes fountains of tears. It was a ray of light and grace, which 
showed to him the love, tenderness and preference, that his Lord 
had borne for him ; the charitable counsel He had given him ; the 
blessings he had received from Him, and the solemn protestations 
he had made of never abandoning Him; then a full sense of his 
ingratitude, his infidelity, treachery and perfidy, broke up th^ 
depths of his repentant heart, and he wept bitterly. 

2d Point. Alas ! St. Peter denied his Lord and Master on only 
one occasion, and never ceased weeping for his offence during his 
life. How often have you not betrayed Him ? How often have 
you not renounced Him through fear, human respect, passion, 
malice, and coldness, knowing all the time what you were doing ? 
How often has He not spoken to you through his priests, and re- 
vealed to you the enormity of your guilt 1 And, notwithstanding 
all, you neither weep nor do penance. He casts a look of tender 
compassion on you, but instead of weeping bitterly for your sins, 
you return to his enemies, where you deny Him, strike, outrage, 
and spit upon Him more cruelly than the Jews ! 

3d Point. Oh, ye heavens ! be astonished at this ingratitude 
and perfidy ! Oh, who will give to my eyes fountains of tears, to 
weep dav and nlu^ht for mv sins and unfaithfulnes.? ! Oh, sweet 
10* 



226 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Jesus ! cast on me a single look of thy mercy, it is all that I need 
to convert me. I desire to do penance all the rest of my life. It 
is the effect of thy grace. Ah, do not permit me to abuse it as I 
have hitherto done. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And the maid, therefore, that was portress, saith to Peter : 
Art thou not also one of this man's disciples ? He saith : I am 
not." SL John^ xviii. 

" Whom when a certain servant maid had seen sitting at the 
light, and had earnestly looked upon him, she said : This man was 
also with Him. But he denied Him, saying : Woman, I know 
him not. And after a little while, another seeing him, said : Thou 
art also one of them. But Peter said : Oh man, I am not. And 
about the space of one hour after, another man affirmed, saying : 
Of a truth, this man also was with him : for he also is a Galilean. 
And Peter said: Man, I know not what thou say est." St. 
Liike^ xxii. 

" I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day till thou 
thrice deniest that thou knowest me." Ihid, 

" And the Lord, turning, looked on Peter. And Peter remem- 
bered the word of the Lord, how he had said : Before the cock 
crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept 
bitterly." Ibid, 

" My eyes have sent forth springs of water : because they have 
not kept thy law." Fsalm cxviii. 



THIRD THURSDAY IN LENT. 

JESUS IS ACCUSED BEFORE PILATE. 

1st Point. Of what do you complain? You are innocent and 
have been calumniated. Was not the Son of God calumniated 1 
He Avas accused of being a seditious man, who had only preached 
doctrines of peace and love to his enemies ! He was accused of 
inciting the people to resist paying tribute, who had paid it to 
Pilate and Caesar, and who had taught obedience to the laws in 
all his counsels. He was accused of assuming the qualities of a 
king, who had fled from the people when they wished to crown 
Him. Pilate declared Him innocent ! Why, then, was He cruei* 



THIRD THURSDAY IN LENT. 227 

fied ? Because He was Jesus ! because He was the Saviour of 
his people, and had assumed the burden and penalty of our guilt ! 
In this behold the cause of his death. 

Jesus is innocent, and appeared guilty ; I am guilty, and wish to 
appear innocent I Jesus never sinned, and bore the pain of our 
sins: but I, who am a sinrier, wish to avoid bearing the pain of 
mine ! I am ashamed to appear criminal before men, but fear not 
to appear so before God. 1 do much that is worthy of condemna- 
tion, yet cannot endure the slightest blame. What injustice and 
arrogance to be wicked, and aspire to those honors which are only 
due to virtue ! If you are guilty, why do you complain 1 If you 
are innocent, why do you grieve ? Do you not consider it a great 
honor to be treated as the Son of God was '? 

2d Point. If you are a good man, you cannot avoid the con- 
demnation of the world. They will present you bound, as they 
did Jesus, before the tribunal of their injustice. They will insti- 
tute proceedings against you, and declare that you are unworthy 
to live among honest men. What will you do ? Compare the 
judgments of men with those of Christ ; the tribunal of Pilate 
with that of Jesus. He is the truth, whom this wicked ruler and 
judge did not wish to know. If the truth deliver you, you shall 
be free indeed. Be satisfied ^\ith the testimony of your own con- 
science with God. It is better to be betrayed by the wicked than 
loved by them ; to be despised by the world than honored by it. 
Do you desire to please those who are displeasing to God ? 

3d Point. My soul, draw near to this tribunal of iniquity. 
Behold a God judged by a man ! A God standing before a man 
who remains seated ! A God, who is judge of the living and the 
dead, examined and condemned by the most wicked of his crea- 
tures ! What hast Thou done, O innocent Lamb, that Thou art 
bound, and dragged through the city 1 Permit me, sweet Lord, 
to answer for Thee. Thou hast created the heavens and the earth ; 
Thou hast made the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to 
speak, the dead to live, and hast gone about doing good to all 
men ; delivering those who were possessed of devils, and making 
heaven the reward of the good, and hell the punishment of the 
wicked. Oh Jesus, what hast Thou done to be so maltreated by 
men ? What hast Thou done to me that I should dare offend and 
insult Thee ? 

Oh, my people ! what have I done to displease you ? What have 
I not done to gain your hearts and give you eternal joys ? What 
ought you not to do for me ? What have you not done against 
me] 



228 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?" Ro- 
mans^ xiv. 

" But with me it is a very small thing to be judged bj yon, or 
by human judgment: but neither do I judge my own self." 1 
Corinthians^ iv. 

'' For I am not conscious to myself of any thing : yet I am not 
hereby justified : but He that judgeth me is the Lord." Ibid, 

" O God, be not Thou silent in my praise : for the mouth of 
the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against 
me. They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues ; and 
they have compassed me about with words of hatred ; and have 
fought against me without cause." Psalm cviii. 

" Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me : 
but I gave myself to prayer. And they repaid me evil for good, 
and hatred for my love." Ibid. 



THIRD FRIDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE CONTEMPT OF HEROD FOR JESUS, AND THE SILENCE OF 

JESUS BEFORE HEROD. 

1st Point. Herod desired to see Jesus, and Jesus would not 
look at him ; Herod questioned Jesus, and Jesus would not an- 
swer him ; Herod demanded miracles of Jesus, -and Jesus would 
not perform them ; Herod despised Jesus, and Jesus cared not 
for his hatred. It is thus that the wisdom of God passes for folly 
in the eyes of the world, and the so-called wisdom of the world is 
but foolishness in the eyes of God. 

2d Point. Jesu? does not speak to the proud ; He does not 
manifest himself to the haughty ; He replies not to the adulterer ; 
He bestows not his grace on the ungrateful. He, at last, despises 
those who despise Him. After having often spoken. He is silent. 
Being often driven away, He goes and returns no more. He con- 
ceals himself after having sought in vain. 

3d Point. Oh Lord, my God ! thy silence is a terrible thing ! 
It is dangerous to resist thy inspirations and despise thy word. 
Wilt Thou be pleased to speak often to me ? How frequently 
have I not heard thy voice, and left undone what Thou hast com- 
manded ! How often have I not, like Herod, caused the death of 



THIRD SAT UK DAY IN LENT. 229 

thy precursor, and slaughtered thy harbingers in my heart ; stifled 
thy inspirations, rejected and despised thy graces ! I hear thy 
word, and obey it not ; I read pious and holy lessons, and do not 
profit by them. Alas, I have reason to fear that Thou wilt with- 
draw thy graces from me, and speak to me no more. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• And Herod, seeing Jesus, was very glad ; for he was desirous 
of a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things of 
Him : and he hoped to see some miracle wrought by Him. And 
he questioned Him with many words. But He answered him 
nothing." St. Luke^ xxiii. 

" For the foolishness of God is wHser than men ; and the weak- 
ness of God stronger than men." 1 Corinthians^ i. 

" There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak." Eccle- 
^siastes^ iii. 



THIRD SATURDAY IN LENT. 



JESUS CONFESSES THAT HE IS A KING. 

1st Point. Art Thou a king? asked Pilate. Jesus answered. 
Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I horn^ and for this 
came I into the ivorld ; that I should give testimony to the truth. 
But he adds: My kingdom is not of this icorld. If my kingdom 
loere of this luorld^ my servants would certainly strive that I should 
not be delivered to the Jews ; but jiow my kingdom is not from 
hence. Jesus is the King of the universe, but He came not into 
the world to exercise the functions of an earthly monarch. He 
came to serve, obey, live in misery, and die in shame. My soul, 
is your King within % Is this his kingdom ] Do you wish to take 
part in his sufferings and ignominies ? 

2d Point. The kingdom of God is not of this proud,- ambitious, 
rich, and sensual world. His kingdom is within us ; He reigns 
over us through the obedience that we show his commandments ; 
He reigns through peace in our hearts, and by the submission we 
render to his divine Providence ; He reigns over our spirits by 
faith, our hearts by charity, our will by hope, our passions by 
mortification, and our bodies bv the cross ; He reimis in this life 
by grace, in the other by glory. Of which kingdom are you ? 
That of Herod, or that of Jesus % 



230 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

3d Point. The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world; for his 
kingdom is the truth, and that of the world is vanity. If the king- 
dom of Jesus is not of this world, it follows that his disciples are 
not of it. You are not a disciple of Jesus if you are possessed 
with the spirit of the world, if you love its grandeur, if you seek 
its perishable treasures and its lieeting enjoyments ; if you live as 
worldlings live, and follow the wicked maxims and customs there- 
of. Happy is he who can say with truth, my kingdom is not of 
this luorUL I am in the world, but not of it, neither do I wish for 
an abiding-place in it. Happy is he who, at the hour of his death, 
can say with Jesus, I am going to my Father, 

I came into the world to love and serve God, work for his honor 
and glory, and keep his commandments. My mission is ended. 
I have accomplished the work He has given me to do. I leave 
with joy a miserable world, Avhere I have known only suffering, to 
return to my Father, who will give me a recompense for my labors 
in the eternal enjoyment of his presence. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, 
against the Lord, and against his Christ." Psalm ii. 

'• For I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy moun- 
tain, preaching his commandment." Ibid. 

"My kingdom is not of this world." St. John^ xviii. 

" You are of this world : I am not of this world." St. John^ viii. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 

The Gospel. St. John^ vi. 1-15. 

" At that time, Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is that 
of Tiberias : and a great multitude followed Him ; because they 
saw the miracles which He did on them that were diseased. 
Jesus therefore went up into a mountain ; and there He sat with 
his disciples. Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was 
near at hand. When Jesus, therefore, had lifted up his eyes, and 
seen that a very great multitude cometh to Him, He said to 
Philip : Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat ? And 
this He said to try him : for He himself knew what He would do. 
Philip answered Him : Two hundred pennyw^orth of bread is not 
sufficient for them, that every one may take a little. One of his 
disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him: 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. 231 

There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves and two fishes ; 
but what are these among so many ? Then Jesus said : Make the 
men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men, 
therefore, sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus 
took the loaves : and w^hen He had given thanks, He distributed 
to them that wxre sat down ; in like manner also of the fishes, as 
much as they would. And when they were filled. He said to his 
disciples : Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost. 
They gathered up, therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the 
fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and 
above to them that had eaten. Now these men, w^hen they had 
seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said : This is of a truth the 
prophet that is to come into the world. Jesus, therefore, when 
He knew that they w^ould come and take Him by force, and make 
Him a king, fled again into tlie mountain himself alone." 

ON ALMSGIVING. 

1st Point. Jesus teaches us, by his example, to nourish the 
poor and attend to their necessities ; from w^hich w^e may draw 
the following considerations : 

The rich depend on the poor, and the poor on the rich ; the rich 
take care of the poor, and the poor of the rich ; the rich give cor 
poral nourishment to the poor, and the poor give them spiritual. 
The poor depend on the rich in time, and the rich on the poor in 
eternity. Without the assistance of the rich the poor would die 
corporally ; without the prayers and blessings of the poor the 
rich would die spiritually. The rich are the judges of the poor on 
earth ; the poor shall be their judges in heaven. Why, then, do 
you despise the poor ? Why treat them with harshness ? Why 
do you not endeavor to deserve their blessings '? Why do y'ou 
not assist them ? 

2d Point. Graces and chastisements are in the hands of the 
poor. When they demand mercy for him who aids them, God 
grants their prayers; w^hen they demand justice against those 
wdio send them empty aw^ay, God also grants it. A rich man is 
in danger of losing his soul when he has not the prayers and bene- 
dictions of the poor. Those who have not the poor for their ad- 
vocate shall not find grace with their judge. He wdio has the 
poor to plead for him need not fear, but rejoice. 

3d Point. Be merciful, then, to the poor, since they are human 



232 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

and miserable like yourself. Their misery is only corporal, yours 
is spiritual. Who do you think it is that asks alms of you ? It is 
Jesus, your King, your God, your Father ; it is He who, under 
the guise of poverty, implores your assistance. Oh, happy and 
honored are the rich, who give alms to Jesus Christ. Accursed 
those who refuse Him alms. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with 
works of mercy to the poor." Daniel^ iv. 

" If one of thy brethren that dwelleth within the gates of thy 
city in the land which the Lord thy God will give thee, come to 
poverty ; thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand, 
but shalt open it to the poor man." Dent. xv. 

" Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the 
poor : the Lord will deliver him in the evil day." Psalm xl. 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was 
hungry, and you gave me to eat : I w^as thirsty, and you gave me 
to drink : I w^as a stranger, and you took me in : naked, and you 
clothed me ; sick, and you visited me : I w^as in prison, and you 
came to me." St. Matt. xxv. 



FOURTH MONDAY IN LENT. 

THE JEWS PREFER BARABBAS TO JESUS. 

1st Point. The innocent is compared to a criminal, the just to 
a thief, the king to his slave, the God of sanctity to a sinner. 
This outrage was less painful to his sacred heart than that which 
you inflict on Him when you compare Him to a creature, and 
prefer his enemy, the devil, to himself You are guilty of this as 
<^)ften as you sin? Which do you prefer of the two, Jesus or 
Satan ? The creature or the Creator ? Heaven or hell ? 

2d Point. Oh Jesus, the greatest and most humble of men ! 
Oh first and last ! when I see Thee at the feet of Judas, I know 
not w^here to place myself But when I behold Thee put lower 
than Barabbas, 1 see no place but hell wherein to hide my confu- 
sion. Is it just that I should exalt myself above Thee? Oh, if I 
prefer myself to the least of thy disciples, I prefer myself to 



FOURTH TUESDAY IN LENT. , 233 

Thee, since at this stage of thy sacred passion Thou art made the 
least of all. 

3d Point. Oh my soul, hoAV often have you not thus thrown 
contempt and insult on Jesus ! How often preferred some vile 
interest, or brutal pleasure to his service ! Have you not many 
times cried out with the Je^Yish rabble : We wish not Jesus, give 
us Barabbas ? Oh, ye heavens, be astonished, my people have 
committed two crimes : they have left me, the source of living 
waters, and gone to drink from a broken and corrupted cistern 
^^'hich cannot quench their thirst. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I have brought up children, and exalted them : but they have 
despised me." Isaias^ i. 

'' To whom have you likened me, and made me equal ; and 
compared me, and made me like ?" Isaias, xlvi. 

" But you denied the Holy and the just One, and desired a mur- 
derer to be granted unto you. But the author of life you killed." 



FOURTH TUESDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE SCOURGES OF OUR LORD. 

1st Point. Jesus is beaten like a slave; He is bathed in his 
blood ; his body is disfigured by frightful wounds. There is no 
part of his flesh that is not bruised and torn. Behold, the Lamb 
of God scourged by slaves 1 Almost immolated, there is nothing 
left but to fasten Him to the Cross ! Consider, and see if there is 
grief like his. 

2d Point. Why does He submit to a chastisement so cruel 
and shameful ? It is to show the extent of his love for you ; it is 
to make you understand the enormity of the guilt of sin ; it is to 
expiate, by his sufferings and blood, the infamous pleasures of 
your flesh ; it is to make satisfaction to God his Father for your 
impurities ; it is to show how necessary it is to mortify your 
body if you wish to become one of his members, and the impos- 
sibilitv of bein^T saved without sufterincrs. 

3d Point. Oh, Christian soul ] take the scourge into your owti 
hand and inflict justice on yourself. Say : It is I who have sinned, 
it is I who deserve chastisement. Is it just that I should be with- 



234 • DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

out wounds, seeing my King covered with them. ? How can my 
body enter heaven unless it is first purified by sulTerings ? He 
who will not be chastised with men must be punished with 
devils. 

Oh, most holy Lamb, what crime has dra^\^i on Thee such pain, 
and led Thee to submit to ignominies so great ? Oh, virginal 
and sacred flesh ! to what a miserable state the impurities of men 
have reduced Thee ! Alas ! Thou dost expiate in thy body, the 
criminal pleasures of ours ; it is to make satisfaction for the sins 
of our flesh that thine is torn and covered with ghastly wounds I 
Let my body, then, be chastised, since it is that which has caused 
the evil. I desife to cut oflf all sinful pleasures, since they have 
caused Thee so much grief. I wish to suffer stripes and wounds 
in order to be like Thee. 

Miserable wretch that I am ! I sin, and do no penance ; I am 
guilty, and practice no mortification ! Oh, my God, I confess my 
baseness, I have not courage to chastise myself. Take, then, the 
scourge in thy hand, and spare not thy chastisements. I am pre- 
pared to suffer all thou may est be pleased to inflict on me. 
Chastise me, if Thou judgest it necessary, but let it be through 
love and not in anger. Chastise me in time, but not in eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Then, therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged Him." Si. 
Jolui^ xix. 

" So Pilate delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged Him." 
St. Mark, xv. 

" For I am ready for scourges : and my sorrow is continually 
before me." Psalm xxxvii. 

" For whom the Lord Igveth He chasteneth ; and He scourgeth 
every son whom He receiveth." Hebrews, xii. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY LN LENT. 

JESUS IS CROWNED WITH THORNS. 

1st Point. Jesus came into the world to expiate our offences 
and bear the pain thereof Man's head is the source of all sin. 
It is here that he conceives thoughts of ambition, impurity, in- 
justice and revenge. It was to make satisfaction for these sins 



FOURTH THURSDAY IN LENT. 235 

that Jesus desired to be crowned with thorns, that is to say, with 
ignomhiies and sufTerings. 

2d Point. Jesus is a victim who desires to offer himself a 
holocaust to the Father, and be consumed in the fire of sufferings. 
His body is covered with wounds; from the crown of his head 
to the .sole of his foot there is not a sound place in Him. He 
was crowned with thorns that there might remain no part of his 
body that was not penetrated by severe sufferings, and to verify 
what He had said : That his kingdom was not of this world. 

Christian, behold your King ! Do you recognize this crown, 
this sceptre, and this purple robe? The Jews renounced Him: 
do you, also, renounce Him ? If you are a child of God, you must 
be mocked, torn and crucified with his divine Son. It is neces- 
sary to w^€iar two crowns, one of gold, the other of thorns. If you 
wear the crown of gold in this life, in the life to come you will 
be crowned with thorns. If your crown is of thorns in this 
world, you will be crowned with glory in the world to come. 

3d Point. The crowns of the world produce thorns ; the thorns 
of Jesus produce the flov, ers of unfading and eternal joys. Who 
would wish to be crowned with glory and pleasures, seeing their 
King crowned with sorrows and ignominies ? How can a member 
of a thorn-crowned head be exempt from suffering ? 

There are three sorts of thorns on earth, which grieve and af- 
flict souls — thorns of sin, thorns of temptation, and thorns of 
penance. Sin is a thorn that pierces and kills the soul ; tempta- 
tion is a thorn that troubles and torments the spirit ; penance is 
a thorn that afHicts the body. The thorn of sin is cruel, bloody, 
and mortal ; the thorn of temptation is dangerous ; the thorn of 
penance is salutary, and produces the flowers of peace and joy at 
all seasons. 



"FOURTH THURSDAY IN LENT. 

SENTIMENTS OF GRIEF AND COMPASSION FOR THE SUFFERINGS OF 

JESUS. 

1st Point. Daughters of Jerusalem, come forth and see King 
Solomon with the diadem with which his mother, the Synagogue, 
has crowned him. Alas ! it is not a mother, but a cruel and in- 
human tyrant, who crowns himself with roses, and his God with 
thorns. Daughters of Jerusalem, Christian souls, observe this 



236 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Man of sorrows ! Behold the Man who has saved you, the Man 
whom you have crucified ! behold the Man who loves you infin- 
itely, the Man whom you cease not to persecute ! 

2d Point. Oh, most holy God ! Thou hast sought a Man to ap- 
pease thy anger, and one who would submit himself to thy ven- 
geance ; behold Him whom we present to Thee ! Look on the 
iiice ol' thy Christ, the sight of whose sorrows will subdue the 
hearts of sinners, and whose intercession will render thee favora- 
ble to their prayers. Behold the Man for Avhom Thou hast created 
all men, and through whom Thou lovest all men. Behold the 
robe of thy Son Joseph, torn and bloody ; dost thou not recognize 
it ] Behold the King of Martyrs, crowned with grief and ignominy ! 
Behold the High Priest of the New Law, who offers Thee his 
blood for the salvation of men ! Will not this blood efface thy 
anger ? Is not this blood suflicient to cancel all our debts ? 

3d Point. Daughter of Zion, holy and sorrowful Virgin 
Mother, come and see the diadem that has been placed upon the 
head of thy divine Son. Behold the Son whom thou didst con 
ceive by the Holy Ghost, and bring forth without pain or sorrow, 
whom thou didst watch over with so much anxiety, and sacrifice 
with so much love ! Behold this glorious and magnificent King, 
who ought to sit on the throne of David and reign over all the 
earth ! Behold this High Priest, whose office it is to appease the 
anger of God ! What a Priest ! what a King ! what a Child ! 
what a Man ! What a spectacle of grief for thee, oh most afflicted 
mother ! How is it that thou didst survive so sorrowful a sight? 
Ah, it is because it is necessary for thee to accompany Him to 
Calvary, and behold Him die between two thieves ! 

Oh, holiest of Men, greatest of Kings, Christians renounce Thee 
as well as the Jews, and desire no other king than Caesar, that is 
to say, the world. The avaricious desire a rich king, the sensual a 
voluptuous king, and the ambitious a king who is glorious on 
earth ; but, as for me, 1 choose for my king this Man of sorrows^ 
who is poor and despised ; I desire no other king than Jesus, and 
no other crown than that of Jesus. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put it upon his 
head : and they put on Him a purple garment." St, John^ xix. 
" Behold your King ! Behold the Man." SL John, xix. 
'' We have no king but Ca)sar." Iljid. 
" O my King and my God !" Psahn v. 
" He will crown thee with a crown of tribulation." Isams, xxii. 



FOURTH FRIDAY IN LENT. 237 



FOURTH FRIDAY IN LENT. 

ON THE SENTENCE OF DEATH PRONOUNCED AGAINST JESUS. 

1st Point. The Jews clamored for the death of Jesus. Pilate, 
^vho was convinced of his innocence, wished to evade the demand. 
The Jews declared : " We have a laio, and according to the law He 
ought to die^ because He made himself the Son of God.''"' " Take 
Him youy saith Pilate, ''and crncifg Him^for I find no cause in 
Him?'' The law of the world condemns the Son of God to death ! 
All worldlings cry, through the mouth of the Jews, crucify Him ! 
crucify Him ! If you are a slave to the maxims of the world you 
conspire, with the Jews, against Jesus. Christians have also a 
law which condemns to death a sensual and voluptuous life. 

2d Point. Pilate questioned Jesus, and Jesus replied not to 
him, because he had been guilty of an act of great injustice, and 
inflicted cruel injuries on Him, even while he believed Him to be 
innocent; because he did not profit by what Jesus had already 
said to him, or desire to learn the truth ; because he had, spoken 
with an air of authority, and was proud and unjust in saying to 
Him that he could deliver or condemn Him ; for if he could have 
delivered the innocent he should have done it, since he was in- 
vested with power only that he might acquit himself of his duty. 
Behold how dangerous it is not to profit by the Word of God ! 
He keeps silence and speaks no more. 

You complain that God no longer responds to you in prayer, 
and ask the cause of his silence. Perhaps you have offended 
Him and excited his anger by mortal sin, or that your continual 
and dissipated intercourse with the world is displeasing to Him, 
or that your heart is too much set on some earthly object, all of 
which render the soul deaf to his voice. It may be that you are 
too curious in spiritual things, or desire to learn without toil, or 
think, in your presumption, that He may unite himself to your 
soul without the intervention of the senses, either corporal or 
spiritual. If thus tempted, it is necessary to humiliate, but not 
^'•'^uble yourself 

3d Point. *Pilate is afraid to condemn Jesus Christ, not only 
i^ecause he is convinced of his innocence, but that he has also dis- 
covered a power of divinity in Him, which terrifies and makes 
him tremble, notwithstanding which, when he heard the people 
thro^temng him with the anger of Csesar, he betrayed his con- 



238 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

science, and delivered Him to his enemies, that they might satisfy 
thetr fury by putting Him to death. Oh, human respect ! Oh. 
miserable fear of the world ! It is this that has condemned and 
put to death the Son of God ! It is this which causes Him to die 
every day in the hearts of men ! They are afraid of giving 
offence to Csesar. Judges condemn the innocent to gratify the 
vengeance of the great. Christians commit acts of injustice *to 
please their friends. Mercenary souls betray their conscience and 
condemn Jesus to death to preserve their goods, their fortune, and 
their employment. 

Oh, sweet Jesus, condemned to an ignominious death ! All the 
world cry out, Crucify Him ! crucify Him ! and no voice is heard 
in his defence, to deliver or give Him life. Thou didst submit to 
all this through obedience to thy Father in heaven, whose will 
it was for Thee to die, but who desired not the sin of this wicked 
judge. Thou dost submit to deliver us from eternal death, the 
sentence of which was issued against all the children of Adam, to 
show the love Thou hast for us and thy desire to suffer for us. 
Thou dost submit in order that we may be submissive to the 
chastisements of God, and that we may not be troubled as to 
whether the person who afflicts and injures us is good or wicked, 
or whether they are guided by reason or passion. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" When Pilate, therefore, had heard this saying, he feared the 
more. And he entered into the hall again ; and he said to Jesus : 
Whence art thou 1 But Jesus gave him no answer." St. John, 
xix. 

" If thou release this man thou art not Coesar's friend." Ibid. 

"Then, therefore, he delivered Him to them to be crucified." 
Ibid. 

" And having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be 
crucified." St, Matt, xxvii. 

" Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death." Wisdom^ ii. 

" He was offered because it was his own will, and He opened 
not his mouth : He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and 
shall be as a lamb before the shearer, and He shall not open his 
mouth." Isaias, liii. 



FOURTH SATURDAY IN LENT. 239 

FOURTH SATURDAY IN LENT. 

JESUS IS Abandoned to the power of his enemies. 

1st Point. He was abandoned by Pilate, who should have de- 
fended his innocence, and who ought to have died rather than 
commit so great an act of injustice. He was abandoned by his 
disciples, who had declared they would go with Him even unto 
death. He was abandoned by God his Father, who could have 
delivered Him from the power of his enemies, but who permitted 
them to exercise over^im all the cruelties and ignominies that 
their wicked malice could devise. Oh 1 how often have you not 
abandoned Him, base Christian, when you beheld Him condemned 
and outraged by the impious ! 

2d Point. God the Father abandoned his divine Son to the 
power of his enemies, and do you learn from this to abandon 
yourself to the will of God, who is the best of all fathers. Why 
should you mistrust Him 1 Do you doubt his power or his love'? 
What can you refuse Him who has given his only Son and de- 
livered Him up to death for your salvation 1 Can your honor, 
goods, health, life, soul, and salvation be in better keeping than 
his ? Why do you not abandon yourself entirely to him ] Why 
so many cares, so much trouble and inquietude, when there is so 
good a Father who careth for you ? 

3d Point. Jesus is abandoned by his Father, but not by our 
Blessed Lady, who had followed Him thus far, step by step, 
through the bitter way of his passion, and was present at his con- 
demnation. Who can conceive her grief, when she beheld his 
sacred flesh so frightfully torn, that his bones were exposed to 
sight ; when she saw Him bathed in his blood, wearing on his 
shoulders a purple rag, holding in his hand the reed which his 
enemies had placed there in derision, and crowned with thorns ! 
Oh, who can comprehend her affliction, Avhen she heard the Jews 
crying out with -tumultuous fury : Away ivith Him ! away with 
Him! Crucify Him! crucify Him! His blood be npon us 
and ujDon our cliildren ! Consider the grief and agony that pierced 
her soul when she saw Pilate wash his hands, and heard him pro- 
nounce sentence of death against her divine Son, and then aban- 
don Him to his enemies, who, with renewed imprecations and 
insults, seize Him, and prepare to nail Him to the cross ! 

Oh, most afflicted Mother! God has also abandoned thee, and 



240 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

thou feel est in thy sacred heart all that thy dear Son does in his 
body. Oh, who is there so insensible as not to be touched with 
tender compassion at thy wondrous grief! Since God has aban- 
doned Jesus and Mary, the two persons most dear to Him in 
heaven or earth, have I, a sinner, not reason to fear that He will 
abandon me to the power of the devil, to be tempted, tormented, 
and afflicted in my body and soul, and in all that belongs to me 1 
Oh, my God, my Father ! I abandon myself to Thee, but do not 
Thou, I beseech Thee, abandon me to the power of my enemies. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And he released unto them him who, for murder and sedition, 
had been cast into prison, whom they haK^desired: but Jesus he 
delivered up to their will." SL Luke^ xxiii. 

" To Thee is the poor man left : Thou wilt be a helper to the 
orphan." Psalm ix. 

" Oh God, my God, look upon me : Why hast Thou forsaken 
me?" Psalm xxi. 

" To what shall I compare thee, or to what shall I liken thee, O 
daughter of Jerusalem % To what shall I equal thee, that I may 
comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Sion % for great as the sea is 
thy destruction ; who shall heal thee ?" Lamentations^ ii. 



PASSION SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. St. JoM, viii. 46-59. 

" At that time, Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews : Which 
of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why 
do you not believe me ? He that is of God, heareth the words of 
God. Therefore, you hear them not, because you are not of God. 
The Jews, therefore, answered and said to Him : Do we not say 
well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? Jesus an- 
swered : I have not a devil ; but I honor my Father, and you have 
dishonored me. But I seek not my own glory :* there is one that 
seeketh and judgeth. Amen, amen, I say to you, if any man 
keep my word, he shall not see death forever. The Jews, there- 
fore, said : Now we know that Thou hast a devil. Abraham is 
dead, and the prophets : and Thou say est : If any man keep my 
word, he shall not taste death forever. Art thou greater than our 
father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead. 
Whom dost thou make thyself? Jesus answered: If I glorify 



PASSION SUNDAY. 241 

myself, my glory is nothing : it is my Father that glorifieth me, 
of ^vhom you say that He is your God. And you 'have not known 
Him : but I know Him : and if I should sav^ that I know Him not, 

t/ 7 

I should be like you, a liar. But 1 do know Him, and do keep his 
word. Abraham, your father, rejoiced that he might see my 
day : he saw it, and was glad. The Jews then said to Him : 
Thou art not yet fifty years old ; and hast Thou seen Abraham ] 
Jesus said to them : Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham 
was made, I am. They took up stones, therefore, to cast at Him : 
but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple." 

ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY. 

1st Point. A Christian's whole life should be a season of ab- 
stinence and trial; abstinence by separating himself from all 
worldly pleasures, and trial by humble resignation to suffering 
and grief. After death, if such has been our life, we will celebrate 
a perpetual Easter in heaven, and know a day of consolation and 
rejoicing Avithout end. Oh, you will then be satisfied with having 
fasted in Lent and mortified your passions ; with having borne 
your cross w^ith patience, and suffered many griefs for the love of 
Jesus. 

2d Point. Why did not the Jews believe the words of Jesus, 
for a master is worthy of belief, whose doctrines are pure and 
whose life is irreproachable. The doctrine of the Son of God 
was holy ; He preached the truth to them and confirmed it by 
wonderful miracles, and nothing could be found more holy than 
his life. Why, then, did they disbelieve his word and reject his 
doctrines ? Because they were haughty, and desired not to learn 
any thing from a man whom they looked on as an inferior ; they 
hated Him, because He reproved their vices and chided their 
hypocrisy, and were filled with envy on seeing the people listen 
with attention to his discourses, and applaud his miracles. Be- 
hold the causes of their incredulity ! We do not desire to submit 
our spirits to the mysteries of truth, and our judgment to the 
direction of God, because one is incomprehensible to human 
reason, and the other displeasing to nature. We have wicked 
hearts, which corrupt the understanding and turn us away from 
the contemplation of eternal truths ; we have passions, which 
render the spirit blind and delude our minds. Behold the causes 
which prevent our believing the Word of God, and being con- 
verted to Him. • 
11 



242 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

8d Point. '^ He that is of God heareth the tvords of God.y Who 
are you ? whence came you ? whither are you going '? what will 
become of you 1 Are you one of the predestined, or are you a 
reprobate? Judge yourself by the sentiments with which you 
receive the Word of God, by the pleasure you take in hearing it, 
by the care you take to preserve it, by the obedience you show it, 
by your fidelity in putting it into practice. You are not of God 
if you take no pleasure in hearing his Word. 

4th Point. ''^ I honor my Father^ and you have dishonored me," 
said our Lord to the Jews. Do you not also deserve this re- 
proach ? Do you not dishonor Jesus and betray his interests 1 
Might He not address himself to you in the words of the Prophet: 
^^ I have brought up children and exalted them^ and they have de 
spised me /" You dishonor God by your wicked life and actions, 
your scandalous words, and your unfaithfulness to a profession .or 
vocation which should make your life more regular and holy. 
Why, oh Christian soul, will you dishonor so good a Master ] 
When will you begin to honor Him 1 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" If I have spoken evil give testimony of the evil : but if well, 
why strikest thou me V St. John, xviii. 

" He that heareth you, heareth me ; he that despiseth you, de- 
spiseth me." St. Luke, x. 

" They are of the world : therefore of the world they speak, 
and the world heareth them." 1 Joh7i, iv. 

" We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us : he that 
is not of God, heareth us not. And every one that loveth, is born 
of God, and knoweth God." Ibid. 



MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

MeMtati0n. 

JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS. 

1st Point. The enemies of Jesus, having placed the cross on 
his wounded and bleeding shoulders. He went with it towards 
Golgotha, but, overcome by the heavy burden. He fell fiinting 
beneath it. They inflicted heavy blows on Him with their hands; 
they struck Him with a knotted stick, ^nd kicked him with vio- 
lence to make Him rise, but his strength was gone, and He could 



MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 248 

no longer obey them. They then laid hands on a stranger from 
the country, one Simon, lifted the cross to his shoulders, and 
compelled him to follow Jesus with it. 

Why did He permit them to relieve Him, by taking from Him 
the cross He loved so much ? Could He not have repaired his 
streno;th by a miracle, and continued to carrv it ? It was done to 
teach us that we deserve the cross ; that He bore it through love 
of us ; that we aid Him in carrying the cross when we bear ours 
with patience ; that to be his disciple it is necessary for us to 
carry the cross, and follow Him whither He goeth ; that He as- 
sists us in carrying our cross, and we ought to rejoice when we 
have an opportunity to carry his. 

2d Point. Happy Simon, (happy through obedience,) who had 
the honor to bear the cross of Jesus ! Christian, the same privi- 
lege is yours ; all your crosses are fragments of his ; they have 
either touched his soul or body. He drank of our chalice and, 
draining it of all its bitterness, left us the sweetness thereof He 
suffered all that we suffer, and felt all that we do. He espoused 
our griefs ; there is not one that has not pierced and afflicted his 
sacred heart. 

3d Point. Oh, Jesus mv Lord! I will follow Thee whitherso- 
ever Thou goest, and, as Thou hast carried thy cross, I will take 
up mine and follow thy steps even unto death. It is the trophy 
of my salvation, the standard of my faith, and the seal of my 
predestination. Oh, how miserable are those who trample it under 
foot, betray or abandon it ! Save me from this, dear Jesus, and 
give me grace to carry it even to Calvary. Oh, holy cross, con 
secrated by the blood of Jesus ! Receive me in thy arms, and 
let me repose on thy bosom ; give thyself all to me, and I will 
abandon myself entirely to Thee ! I espoused Thee in baptism ; 
the vow is made, the union is indissoluble, and death alone can 
separate us. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" x\nd, bearing his own cross. He went forth to that place w^hich 
is called Calvary, but in Hebrew Golgotha." St. 'John^ xix. 

" Come follow me." St. Mark.^ x. 

" If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up 
his cross, and follow me." St. Matt. xvi. 

" I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou oroest." St. LuJce^ ix. 

" He was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our 
sins : the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by his 
bruises we are healed.'' Isalas, liii. 



244 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

JESUS ON THE CROSS. 

1st Point. The inhuman persecutors of Jesus renewed his suf- 
erings, by stripping Him roughly of his garments, which adhered 
to his sacred wounds ; after which they laid Him on the cross. 
They handled Him with taunts and jeers, extended his limbs with 
cruel violence, and nailed his hands and feet to the wood ; then, 
raising Him on high. He was exposed to view, a spectacle for 
angels and men. He rested only on his wounds, from which 
issued forth those precious streams which enrich the Church that 
He came to establish, and efface the sins of mankind. 

He desired the cruel and ignominious death of the cross, to 
encourage you, by his example, to die for Him ; to repair the sin 
of the first man, who ate the fruit of the forbidden tree; to raise 
our hearts to heaven, according to what He had foretold, that He 
would draw all hearts to Him, when He should be lifted up from 
the earth ; to signify, by the four extremities of the cross, the 
four quarters of the world whose inhabitants He came to save ; to 
^ show his goodness and mercy, by extending his arms to receive 
all sinners, and make known to us the height and depth, the length 
and breadth of divine charity. Finally, He died on it, to accom- 
plish the design which He had prefigured, when He said that the 
world should be saved by the wood of the cross, as it had been 
before saved by the ark of Noe and the rod of Moses. Oh, how 
shall those who have a horror of the cross, and evade it whenever 
they can, be saved ! 

2d Point. They gave Him vinegar, mixed with gall, to drink, 
and he accepted the bitter draught, that nothing might be wanting 
that could augment his grief or lend weight to his sufferings. His 
enemies insulted his miseries, railed at Him, assailed Him with 
curses and blasphemies, and, in derision, invited Him to come 
down from the cross ! Oh, it is a difficult and painful thing for 
one who is innocent to remain silent and patient under injury, 
when it is in his power to be revenged on the enemies who 
triumph over his misfortune, and take advantage of his weakness. 
But we must imitate Jesus in the ignominies he suffered, if we 
desire to be partakers of his glory in the world to come. Alas ! 
how is it that we can seek only sweetness and consolation, when 
Jesus has drained the chalice of bitterness and grief! 



WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK. *^45 

3d Point. Oli, Saviour of the world, I adore Thee on this thy 
throne of sorrow and ignominy ; I cast myself into thy arms, 
which Thou hast opened to receis^e me ; I throw myself at thy 
feet, that I may be washed in the saving fountain that flows from 
them ! Oh sacred victim, consumed by suffering ! Oh high priest 
of the- New Law ! Why dost Thou remain on this altar ? Why 
dost Thou not descend from the cross '? If Thou wouldst descend, 
all men, seeing thy power, would believe in Thee. 

Do not descend, oh Divine Wisdom, from the cross. If Thou 
art the Son of God Thou wilt die thereon! If Thou shouldst 
come down and save thyself, they will not follow Thee, they will 
also fly the cross ; they will refuse to carry it, or die on it. 

My soul, regard your Saviour on the cross. Your sins have 
nailed Him there ! He was crucified once on Calvary ; but how 
often have you not crucified Him in your heart ! As often as 
you have sinned mortally, so often have you crucified Jesus! 
You must crucify Him or your passions. 

Oh, sweet Jesus ! destroy my life, for fear I may be so miser- 
able as to destroy thine in my soul by mortal sin. Crucify my 
body, for fear I may crucify thy spirit. Fasten me to thy cross 
with the nails of fear, hope, and love, that I may never again be 
separated from Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" They crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each 
side, and Jesus in the midst." John^ xix. 

" And they gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall." St 
Matthew, xxvii. 

" With Christ I am nailed to the cross." Galatians, ii. 

" And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh with the 
vices and concupiscences." Galatians, v. 

" God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the 
world." Galatians, vi. 



WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS ENEMIES. 

1st Point. Exalted on the cross, Jesus Christ was exposed to 
the profane gaze of a blasphemous multitude. No complaint 



246 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

escaped his lips. He uttered not a word, until, moved with tender 
compassion for his enemies, He cried out, '-''Father^ forgive them^ 
for they know not what they doy The blood of Abel demanded 
vengeance, the blood of Jesus plead only for mercy and grace for 
those who shed it : and when thev insulted his mercv, He excused 
their sin, diminished their malice, and assumed the office of advo- 
cate for them, notwithstanding that they had accused Him falsely, 
judged Him through passion, condemned Him through malice, 
and crucified Him between two thieves, as the greatest indignity 
they could offer Him. He forgot his own bitter anguish to think 
of those who persecuted Him unto death. Their guilt afflicted 
Him more than all the torments He endured. 

2d Point. Keep silence, Christian soul, when on the cross of 
suffering. Complain not of your misfortunes, lose not the fruit of 
your trials, pray for your enemies, forget the injuries they have 
inflicted on you, excuse their intention, if you cannot excuse their 
acts. If you refuse them a grace which they do not merit, how 
can you expect to obtain grace from God ? 

3d Point. Oh, most amiable and compassionate Lord ! when 
will I begin to imitate thy mercy and sweetness % Thy precepts 
command me, thy love urges me, thy example engages me by a 
sweet and irresistible power. I pardon all who have offended 
me. I forgive all who have outraged, persecuted, and crucified 
me. 

Alas ! they know not what they do. They believe that they 
do me much evil, when, in fact, they procure me much good. 
When they think they do me good, they bring evil on me. By 
their injuries they provide me with more occasions of merit than 
I can procure for myself. By their worldly counsels and danger- 
ous flatteries, they do me more evil than I would do them, or 
desire for them. Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do. I sin through malice, they through ignorance. They 
believe they have good reason to treat me as they do ; and I en- 
tertain too great a desire to be revenged on them. If they had 
received the numerous graces, of which I have been the recipient, 
they would be more faithful servants of God than I am. If I had 
been tempted as they have, I should, perhaps, have lost the grace 
of God, and become more wicked than they. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" My Father, forgive them, for they know not ^vhat they do." 
Luke^ xxiii. 

" But I say unto you : Love your enemies : do ^ood to them 



THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 247 

that hate you : and pray for them that persecute and calumniate 
you." St. Matt v. 

" Forgive thy neighbor if he hath huijb thee, and then thy sins 
shall be forgiven thee when thou prayesi." Ucclesiasticus ^xkyui. 

" Revenge not yourself, dearly beloved, but give place to 
wrath ; for vengeance is mine, and I will repay, saith the Lord." 
Romans^ xii. 



-•♦^ 



THUKSDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

ON THE PENITENCE OF THE GOOD THIEF AND THE IMPENITENCE 

OF THE BAD. 

1st Point. One of the thieves who were crucified with Jesus 
confessed Him, the other renounced Him ; one adored Him, the 
other blasphemed Him ; one ascended to Heaven from his cross, 
the other descended into hell from his ; one was saved at the 
side of Jesus, the other was damned at the side of Jesus. He 
was the Redeemer of both, but only one profited by the salvation 
prepared for them. He offered his life for both, and one died in 
his impenitence and obstinacy. 

Oh, judgments of God, how profound ! Oh, goodness of God, 
how infinite and sweet ! Oh, justice of God, how terrible 1 Oh, 
vvavs of God, how admirable ! Who will not fear eternal loss % 
Who may not hope for eternal life ] One can be lost anywhere, 
since a criminal damned himself at the side of Jesus, who was "f 

shedding his blood and dying for him. One may hope at all ^ 
times, since a malefactor saved himself at the last hour of a 
wicked and criminal life. 

2d Point. Admire the faith of the good thief who believed in 
and confessed Jesus when He was naked on the cross, borne down 
with a load of suffering, mocked and blasphemed by the doctors 
and priests of the law, and in a state so little in conformity with 
the dignity of his divine nature. Admire his hope, which inspired 
him to ask Jesus to remember him, when He entered into his 
kingdom. Consider his charity towards God in defending the in- 
nocence of Jesus Christ against those who assailed it ; towards his 
neighbor, by correcting the error of his guilty companion, and \ 

endeavoring to inspire him with sentiments of faith, humility, and 
piety. In fine, admire his patience, humility, and penitence, and 



248 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

endeavor to imitate the virtues which rendered his contrition so 
perfect. 

3d Point. Jesus forg(^ his own cruel sufferings to attend to 
the prayer of a malefactor. He forgave him all his sins, and, 
with an oath, promised hirn paradise. Oh, incomparable prince ! 
who was not jealous of his crown, but willing to divide his 
empire with a thief. Oh, liberal Master ! who gives his servants 
so liberal a recompense. 

Oh precious and consoling words to the sick and weary soul : 
This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise ! Oh Lord, I say to 
Thee, with this great penitent : '* Remember me when Thou comest 
into thy kingdom /" We truly desei've the cross, but as for Thee, 
what hast Thou done to deserve so cruel a death % Let me also 
be crucified with Thee, that I may hear Thee say at the moment 
when my soul is on the eve of departing from my body : '' This 
day shalt thou be with me in Paradisey 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And one of the robbers who were crucified with Him, blas- 
phemed, saying: If thou art Christ, save thyself and us." LuJce^ 
xxiii. 

" But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying : Neither dost 
thou fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation." Ibid. 

"And we indeed suffer justly ; for we receive the due reward of 
our sins : but this man hath done no evil." Ibid. 

" And he said to Jesus : Lord, remember me Avhen Thou shalt 
come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him : Amen, I say to 
thee, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." Ibid. 

" And I say to you : In that night there shall be two men in one 
bed : the one shall be taken and the other left." St. Luke^ xvii. 



FEIDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

ON THE PASSION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

" Wpman^ behold thy Son. Son, behold thy Mother. '^'^ 

1st Point. Oh sweet and merciful Jesus, couldst Thou not have 
spared thy tender and sorrowful mother the pain of seeing Thee 
suffer and die ? What had she done that she must take part in 
thy sacrifice, and witness the agony that she could neither relieve 



SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 249 

nor soothe ? What greater pain could have been inflicted on her, 
than to be obliged to stand by and behold her only Son expiring 
in such cruel torments ? What greater grief for Thee than to die 
in the presence of thy desolate and afflicted Mother ? What mother 
is comparable to Mary ? What son comparable to Jesus ] What 
tortures comparable to those of the cross? 

2d Point. God desired that the Holy Virgin- should be at the 
foot of the cross, and, by the sacrifice of her only Son, co-operate 
in our redemption, by offering to the Almighty Father that which 
was most precious and dear to her,^o repair thereby the fault of 
E\ e who caused our loss ; to increase the grief of her Son, by her 
presence ; to bear part in his sorrows ; to drink of his chalice ; to 
become the Queen of Martyrs, of whom her Son was the King; 
to be as He was, crowned with opprobriums and ignominies ; to 
receive all the predestined who were given to her in the person of 
the beloved disciple, and to be declared their Mother by these 
words: " Woman^ behold thy Son; Son^ behold thy Mother f'' 

3d Point. Mary endured all that Jesus suffered. The sword 
that entered his sacred side pierced her afflicted soul. The 
wounds that disfio-ured his flesh filled hers with sufferins^ incon 
ceivable. The stripes that had lacerated Him were imprinted 
in her heart. 

The martvrs suffered in their bodies, Mary suffered in her soul ; 
the martvrs suffered in their criminal flesh, Marv suffered in the 
innocent flesh of her Son. The hearts of the martyrs were filled 
with joy, and the heart of Mary with desolation. Love dimin- 
ished the pangs of the martyrs ; love increased the pangs of Mary ! 
Can she not truly say : There is no grief comparable to mine ] 



SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 

THE PASSION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, CONTINUED. 

1st Point. Jesus was crucified in his body and soul; in his 
body on the cross, and in his soul in the heart of his holy mother. 
Mary was crucified spiritually and corporally; spiritually in her 
soul, corporally in the flesh of her divine Son. Love iniprinted 
on her heart all the wounds that the scourge had inflicted on his 
body. Those that were not mortal to the Son w^ere so to the 
Mother. The lance that opened the side of Jesus after He was 
11* 



250 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

dead pierced the living heart of Mary. Never has a mother loved 
or suffered as the Mother of Jesus did. 

Oh, daughter of Zion, to whom shall I compare thee? Thy 
grief is without example: only the sorrows of thy divine Son are 
comparable to thine ; only his surpass thine. He is the King of 
martyrs, thou art the Queen ! He is the Man of sorrow^s, and 
thou art the Mother of sorrows ! 

2d Point. Christian soul, go with Mary to Calvary, take part 
in her affliction, mingle your tears wdth hers, and consider the 
excess of her grief. She stood by the cross of Jesus. What 
strength ! what virtue ! what constancy ! While there, pray to 
be received among the number of her children. Imitate her pa- 
tience to render yourself worthy of such a mother. To receive 
this honor, you must, like her, stand by the cross, kneel at the 
foot of the cross, and there w^ait daily. It is only here that she 
receives those who are presented to her, .by her divine Son, as the 
children of her adoption. 

Renew not her dolors ; do not augment her afflictions. When 
you sin mortally, you crucify her Son anew in your heart ; you 
deprive Him of a life more dear to Him than the one He lost on 
the cross. Oh, this death is most painful and bitter to Him, and 
afflicts the heart of his holy Mother, who cannot bear to see the 
fruits of all He suffered made useless by the guilt of those for 
whom He suffered. She consented to the corporal death of her 
Son, but not to his spiritual death in the souls of men. The first 
gave them life, the second gives them death. She did not com- 
plain of the Jews, although they were wicked and criminal, but 
she has reason to complain of Christians, who are faithless to Jesus 
who redeemed them, and to her who suffered w^ith Him for their 
salvation. 

3d Point. Suffer, then, wdth patience and submission like hers, 
all that may afflict your body or soul ; be constant in tribula- 
tion. Continue beside the cross in your desolation. Do not mur- 
mur against the order of God's providence, how^ever severe it 
may appear to you, but draw near to Jesus crucified, and hear 
Him say from his throne of suffering, "Son, behold thy Mother ; 
Mother, behold thy Son!'''' Do you not desire to belong to the 
family of Jesus Christ ] Become, then, a child of Mary, and you 
w^ill be a member thereof. 

Oh, most holy and afflicted Virgin ! oh. Queen of martyrs ! oh, 
Mother of sorrows ! impress on my heart the wounds of thy 
Son ! Obtain for me grace to love his cross, and courage to take 
part in his sufferings. Pierce my heart with the sword of grief 



PALM SUNDAY. 251 

that pierced thy o\vn.' Let me drink of tlie same bitter chalice 
that thou didst, and, above all, I conjure thee to assist at the hour 
of my death, as thou didst at that of thy divine Son, receive my 
soul into thy hands, and return it to Him who gave it. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Who shall find a valiant woman 1 far, and from the uttermost 
coasts is the price of her." Frov, xxxi. 

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his Mother." St, 
John, xix. 

" Jesus said to his mother : Woman, behold thy Son." Ibid. 

" And He said to his disciple : Behold thy Mother." Ibid, 

" And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many 
hearts thoughts may be revealed." St, Luke, ii. 



PALM SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. Matt, xxi, 1-9. 

" At that time, when Jesus drew nigh to Jerusalem, and was 
come to Bethphage, unto Mount Olivet, then He sent two disciples, 
saying to them : Go ye into the village, that is over against you : 
and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; 
loose them, and bring them to me. And if any man shall say any 
thing to you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them : and forth- 
with he will let them go. Now all this was done, that the word 
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying : Tell 
ye the daughter of Sion. Behold, thy King cometh to thee, meek, 
and sitting upon an ass and a colt, the foal of her that is used to 
the yoke. And the disciples going, did as Jesus commanded 
them. And they brought the ass, and the colt, and laid their 
garments upon them, and made Hina sit thereon. And a very 
great multitude spread their garments in the way, and others cut 
down boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way ; and 
the multitude that went before, and that followed, cried, saying : 
Hosanna to the Son of David : Blessed is He that cometh in the 
name of the Lord. 

ON THE ENTRANCE OF OUR LORD INTO JERUSALEM. 

1st Point. Jesus went triumphing to death. He knew all that 
awaited Him at Jerusalem, and had foretold to his disciples how 



252 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

He was to be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes^ who ivould 
condemn Him to deaths and deliver him to the Gentiles to he mocked^ 
scourged and crucified. But, notwithstanding all, He went thither 
promptly and joyfully. Whence arose this eagerness and joy ? 
It was because He desired infinitely to suffer and die for our salva- 
tion, to show thereby his great love for us ; to honor his heavenly 
Father, and accomplish his will. It was to croAvn his ignominy 
and humiliations with glory and triumph ; it was to eat the pasch 
and institute the sacrament of his body and blood, that he might 
perpetuate on our altars the sacrifice He offered on Calvary. 

Christian soul, do you imitate the example of your divine 
Lord % do you suffer, with Jesus, resignedly and joyfully % do you 
go triumphantly to death ? do you allow yourself to be led thither 
as a victim to the sacrifice % Is there any thing more noble than 
to die for God ; any thing more just than to give your life to Him 
who gave his for you ; any thing sweeter or more consolatory 
than to offer Him proofs of your love ; any thing of greater 
merit in his eyes than to sacrifice those things which, of all the 
world, we love best, for the sake of Jesus % On the contrary, is 
there any thing more cowardly, unjust, and deplorable, than to 
shrink away at the approach of death % to allow despair to enter 
the soul, or feel unwilling to pay so lawful a debt, or pay it with 
such regret as to lose the merit of the greatest and most impor- 
tant act of our lives % 

2d Point. Jesus enters your heart in triumph whenever yoi\ 
communicate worthily at the divine banquet of the altar. His 
triumph here is infinitely sweet and glorious to Him, because the 
heart into which He enters is a kingdom, the conquest of which 
cost Him his life ! Daughters of Sion rejoice, behold your King, 
who approaches, full of sweetness and love. It is your King, and 
not a tyrant ; He is not a severe Judge, but a Prince full of peace 
and compassion ; He comes not to destroy you, or to punish your 
treasons and rebellions, but to save you, to sanctify you, to par- 
don your sins, to communicate to you the merits of his passion, 
to animate you by his spirit, pour out his graces on you, and give 
you part with Him in the abundance of the glory and felicity of 
his heavenly kingdom. 

3d Point. What preparations will you make, daughters of 
Sion, to receive your King % You must go before Him, bearing a 
palm, to signify the victory you have gained over the world, the 
devil, and your own evil passions. It is necessary to divest your- 
self of the wicked habits with which your soul is clothed, and 
place them unde^ the feet of Jesus Christ ; you must break off 



MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 253 

branches, that is to say, cut off all that is superfluous in yourself, 
Vihethor it be in Avorcls, habits, nourishment, or amusements, by 
continual mortifications ; you must give alms to the poor, and 
make them your care and treasure. If any one question or praise 
your works, say : The Lord hath need of them^ it is in his nanne, 
and for Him, that I labor. 

Sing, then, with the multitude, Hosanna to the Son of David ! 
blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord ! Hosanna in 
the highest. Receive Him with joy ; receive Him in your inmost 
soul ; take care that you do not betra-y Him, outrage and crucify 
Him, as the Jews did three days after they had received Him. 
Oh, inconstancy of man ! oh, vanity of life ! oh, perfidy of the 
human heart ! how often have ye not crucified Him, after having 
welcomed and received Him in triumph? Humiliate yourself, 
and ask forgiveness of your offended Lord, for having so betrayed 
his interests, and resolve to be more faithful to Him in future. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Then Thomas said to his fellow disciples : Let us also go, that 
we may die with Him." St. John^ xi. 

" With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you before 
I suffer." St, LuJce,, xxii. 

" I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized : and how 
am I straitened until it be accomplished." >S^^. Lu'ke^ xii. 

" He came unto his own, and his own received Him not." St. 
John, i. 

'' And they indeed went from the presence of the council, re- 
joicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the 
name of Jesus." Acts^ v. 



MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 

ON THE ABANDONMENT OF O/JR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS. 

1st Point. " My God! my God, why hast Thou for salcen J/^.^" 
Oh how terrible must have been that abandonment, which forced 
tears and sighs from a God, and made Him complain before his 
enemies, who triumphed; before many w^ho believed no longer 
that He was the Son of God, but a wicked man, since He was 
thus abandoned by his Father ! 



254 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. Jesus was never separated from either grace or 
glory; his divinity was never separated from his humanity. He 
was always holy, always happy, always God. 'This terrible 
abandonment was only a suspension of the succors and sensible 
consolations that his divinity imparted to his humanity ; it was a 
shadow and figure of the pain a sinner feels in hell when he is 
abandoned by God. 

3d Point. Oh, my God, the agony that thy divine Son suffered 
on the cross gives me an idea of what the damned endure. Thy 
temporary abandonment of the just affords ^me some conception 
of the horrors of thy eternal abandonment of the wicked. If the 
loss of thy presence was so bitterly and sensibly felt by thy Son, 
who can bear for ever the weight of thy infinite anger ? who can 
suffer, in hell, an eternal separation from Thee, an eternal priva- 
tion of thy grace, thy love, thy presence, thy consolations, thy 
succor, thy providence, thy felicity, and of all that the immortal 
soul values, desires and loves ; who could, added to this, suffer an 
everlasting deluge of evil in the actual presence of all that the 
soul most fears and is most afflicted by'? 

Oh, my God, do not abandon me, although I deserve it, having 
so often abandoned Thee. Deprive me, if such be thy will, of all 
consolation, but not of thy grace ; abandon me, if necessary, in 
life, but not at the hour of my death. If Thou shouldst abandon 
me in time, oh abandon me not in eternity. 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, why art Thou abandoned by thy Father ] 
What hast Thou done '? It is I who deserve to be abandoned ; it 
is I who am guilty, and have sinned. Oh, thy abandonment ter- 
rifies and consoles me at the same time ; it fills me with terror 
to see what I merit ; it fills me with consolation to see what I 
ought to hope f^r ; for if Thou wast abandoned at thy death, it 
was that I may not be at mine. Oh, Lord, be Thou with me 
and succor me, when all the world shall have forsaken me. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" St. 
Matt, xxvii. 

" Forsake me not, O Lord my God : do not Thou depart from 
me." Fsalm xxxvii. 

" Cast me not off in the time of old age : when my strength 
shall fail me, do not Thou forsake me." Psalm Ixx. 

" I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee." Heh, xiii. 



TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 255 



TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 

ON THE THIRST OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

1st Point. Jesus said, / thirst ; and they offered Him only 
vinegar and gall to drink ! He desired this torment to make sa- 
tisfaction for our gluttony, and bear the penalty of the sins we 
commit by excess, or too great a fondness for delicate and ex- 
pensive food. He was abandoned in his soul and body. In his 
soul, by a suspension of all sensible consolation ; in his body, by 
the suffering of all imaginable evdls. 

All his senses, corporal and spiritual, were crucified on Calvary. 
His eyes, by the sight of his enemies ; his ears, by their blas- 
phemies ; his smell, by the infectious odors of the place ; his touch, 
by the wounds that covered his body ; his taste, by the vinegar 
and gall; his memory, by the recollection of our crimes; his 
spirit, by the darkness which seemed to conceal from Him the 
will of his Father, and which wrung from Him that bitter cry : 
My God^ my God^ why hast Thou forsaken me ? His will, by 
fear and dejection; his appetite, by disgust,'. sadness, and grief. 
There was no part of his body that was not pierced with wounds ; 
Tio power of his soul but what was plunged in unspeakable grief. 
He suffered as if He had been a mere man, without drawing any 
other succor from his divinity than a strength to suffer without 
dying. God wrought a miracle, not to relieve his Son from suffer- 
ing, but to prevent his dying under those sufferings ; and you de- 
sire Him to work a miracle to preserve you from suffering and 
death. 

2d Point. The divine victim was torn by whips without, but 
within He was yet sound. For this reason He made the bitter- 
ness of his chalice descend into his body, by enduring the most 
cruel thirst that was ever suffered, and drinking the vinegar and 
gall which they offered Him. It wi^s then that the book of the 
Lamb was written within and without. Within, by the justice 
of his Father ; without, by .the cruelty of men. Within, by in- 
terior pains ; without, by exterior sufferings. 

3d Point. Jesus complained of being thirsty, knowing well 
that they would give Him vinegar and gall to drink; He com- 
plained of his sufferings only that He might suffer more; He 
make known to us his grief that we might know his love ; He 
thirsted for our salvation ; He was consumed with the desire of 



256 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

bringing sinners to repentance ; of freeing the captive, and making 
the miserable rejoice. It Avas love that made Him complain, 
love that made Him suffer, love that made Him die ! 

Oh, Jesus my Lord and my merciful Redeemer, how can I re- 
lieve or quench the thirst that consumes Thee.? " Hear me," 
says Jesus from the cross, " Leave the sins that so often wound 
me ; forsake thy evil companions, who may cause the loss of thy 
soul, and who daily offend and displease me ; approach my cross 
by continual meditations on my sufferings ; be frequent in prayer ; 
receive me often in Holy Communion; abstain from railleries 
and slander ; pardon the injustice and injuries inflicted on thee, 
and keep silence when angry. Behold whereby thou may est quench 
my thirst and alleviate my sufferings ; behold how thou mayest 
refresh me ; behold wherein thou mayest console me." 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Afterwards Jesus, knowing that all things were now accom- 
plished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said : I thirst." St, 
John^ xix. 

" O that some man would give me water of the cistern of 
Bethlehem, which is in the gate." 2 Kings^ xxiii. 

" And they gave me gall for my food : and in my thirst they 
gave me vinegar to drink." Psalm Ixviii. 

" As the heart panteth after the fountains of waters ; so my 
soul panteth after Thee, O God. My soul hath thirsted after 
the strong living God ; when shall I come, and appear before the 
face of God?" Psalm x\\. 



WEDNESDAY LN HOLY WEEK. 

"7^ is consummated.'^'' 

1st Point. When Jesus had taken the vinegar. He said : It is 
consummated. The holocaust is consumed in the fire of my love 
and sufferings ; the will of my Father is accomplished ; the Gos- 
pel is announced ; the prophecies are fulfilled ; the ransom of man- 
kind is paid ; their sins are forgiven ; the captives are delivered ; 
paradise is opened ; the sacraments are instituted ; fountains of 
grace flow forth to the uttermost ends of the earth ; the devil is 
vanquished ; the sins of the world are atoned for ! I have nothing 
more to say, to do, or to suffer. 



WEDNESDAY IN HCLY WEEK. 257 

2d Point. Oh. what consummation m(;re full of joy and peace 
than that of the taithful servants of God ! Oh, what consumma- 
tion more replete with misery and anguish than that of sinners ! 

It is consummated f the dvins^ sinner exclaims. Mv pleasures 
are vanished, my amusements are over, my beautiful and joyous 
days are eclipsed, my hopes are forever gone, my time is irrevo- 
cably lost, my life is near its close, my malice is consummated 
and at an end ! In a litlle while, I will enter into a life of suffer- 
ing that will never end, and know a misery that will be eternal ! 

oD Point. It is consummated^ says the dying Christian ; my 
evil days are over, my sufferings are ended, my combats finished, 
my troubles are calmed and dispersed, my griefs are soothed, my 
infirmities healed, my tears all wiped away, and my miseries for- 
ever ended. It is consummated. There is nothing more for me 
to do. The cross is laid down at the portals of death ; there are 
no more evils for me to fear -or endure; no sins to avoid; no 
more penance to perform. I shall soon enter into a life of peace 
and rest, where my joy will be fidl and eternal. 

4tii Point. Christian soul, you must choose one or the other 
of these two consummations. An hour rapidly approaches, when 
you will be obliged to say, "/^ is consummated,,''^ Will you say 
it with Lazarus, or will you say it with Dives ? Will you say it 
with Jesus, or will you say it with Pilate ? In that hour you will 
discover that all you have loved in the world, and all that it has 
promised, is only deceit and vanity. 

Oh Jesus, author and finisher of our salvation ! I offer Thee 
my life and the consummation thereof, as Thou hast given thine 
for me ! Give me grace to do thy will, to sacrifice myself to thy 
glory, to be consumed with divine love, to make my body a vic- 
tim of suftering, to fulfill all thy designs, and acquit myself of all 
my duties, that I may say with my failing breath: It is done: 
all is accomplished : It is consummated, 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" It is consummated." St, John., xix. 

" For by one oblation He hath perfected, forever, them that are 
sanctified." Hebrews^ viii. 

" Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith." He- 
brews, xii. 

" He learned obedience by the things which He suffered : And 
being consummated. He became the cause of eternal salvation to 
all that obey Him." Hebrews, v. 

" If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he 



258 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

must remember the darksome time, and the many days '. which, 
when they shall come, the things passed shall be accused of van- 
ity," J^cclesiasieSj xi. 



HOLY THURSDAY. 

ON THE LAST WORDS OF OUR LORD ON THE CROSS. 

" Father^ into thy hands I commend my spiriV* 

1st Point. Jesus abandoned himself to his Father after hav- 
ing been abandoned by Him. After showing us how to live He 
taught us how to die. He afforded us in his life divine lessons of 
patience, and has given us in his death an admirable and holy 
example of abandonment to the will, and confidence in the mercy, 
of God. Imitate Jesus living and dying. Rest in his arms. 
Commend your spirit into his hands. He is our Father : can He 
abandon us? He is our Saviour: will He condemn us? 

2d Point. To die well it is necessary to live well. Say often 
to Jesus Christ what you would say if you were dying : " Father^ 
into thy hands I commend my spiritj'^ Thou art its First Cause, 
let it return to Thee as to its last end. It is the breath of thy 
mouth, the product of thy spirit, the price of thy blood, and the 
sanctuary of thy graces. Into thy hands, which were pierced for 
me, I commend it ; and to thy sacred heart, which is ever open to 
receive sinners, I recommend it. Oh, sweet Jesus, take, care of 
it, and abandon it not ! Alas ! if unsupported by thy hands it 
will fall, into the power of thy adversary, the devil. Oh suffer 
pot a soul, that has cost Thee such an infinite price, to be lost ! 

3d Point. Go forth, my soul, from this body Avhich has been 
your prison. Why should you fear to die ? In dying for you, 
Jesus has taken away the sting and bitterness of death. He re- 
commended your spirit to his Almighty Father, when He recom- 
mended his own. Depart, then, Christian soul, in the name of the 
Father who created you, of the Son who redeemed you, of the 
Holy Ghost who sanctified you. Jesus invites you to the eternal 
rest of heaven. 

Bow your head in obedience, and fear not; your soul is safe in 
the hands 'of Jesus. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And bowing his head, He gave up the ghost." St John^ xix. 



GOOD FRIDAY. 259 

"And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said: Father, into thy 
hands I eoniineiid my spirit." St. Luke, xxiii. 

" But God is our King before ages ; He hath wrought salvation 
in the midst of the earth." Psalni^ Ixxiii. 

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." 1 Cor, vi. 



GOOD FRIDAY. 

ON THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

1st Point. Jesus died: who will fear death ? Having died for 
us, who will refuse to die for Him ? In his death He was con- 
sumed with grief: who w^ill desire to die without suffering'? By 
his death He redeemed us : who will serve any other master ] 
He died for our sins : who will not endeavor to destroy and over- 
come sin 1 

Oh, good Shepherd, Thou hast given thy life for thy sheep ! 
Oh, High Priest of the New Law, truly hast Thou immolated 
thyself for the salvation of thy people ! Oh, divine Lord ! Thou 
hast, indeed, taught us from the cross how great an evil sin is, 
since it caused Thee to die, and how infinite a good is that heaven 
which cost the life of the Son of God ! 

2d Point. Children of men, will you be always ungrateful! 
always blind? Do you know the price that was paid for youl 
Do you know what you owe? You owe your life to the Son of 
God, who has given his for you. What injustice, then, to give it 
to the world, the flesh, and the devil, which are your most deadly 
enemies. Did the enemy of souls die for you? Did the prince 
of this world and concupiscence shed their blood for you ? Have 
they ever done you good ? Can they ever do you good ? Can 
they love you ? Have they a heaven to offer you ? My brethren, 
you belong, not to yourselves, but to Him who, in dying for yoa, 
paid an infinite price for your salvation. 

3d Point. Oh, Jesus my Saviour, let me die with Thee, for 
Thee, and like Thee. I forgive all my enemies, and hope humbly 
Thou wilt be favorable to me, accept my desires, and graciously 
give me admittance into Paradise, as Thou didst the penitent 
thief. I declare myself a child and servant of thy holy Mother. 
Recommend me to her as Thou didst thy beloved disciple, and 
desire her to take care of me at the hour of my death. And I 



260 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

implore Thee, oli Blessed Jesus, by thy abandoiiment on the 
cross, do not leave me when all the world abandons me. Sustain 
my spirit by thy grace when the strength of my body fails. Give 
me a great thirst and desire for Paradise. Cast thy eyes on the 
poor victim who is consumed with grief and suffering. 

Oh, my Father ! I abandon my spirit to Thee. I unite my last 
hour with that of thy divine Son. I wish to honor Thee by the 
sacrifice of my life. I accept death in acknowledgment of all the 
blessings 1 have received from Thee ; I accept it to satisfy thy 
justice, which I have so often irritated ; I accept it willingly as 
an expression of my love and obedience ; I accept it that I may 
enjoy the bliss of possessing and beholding Thee ; I accept it, 
finally, to honor thy Son and his most holy Mother, and to drink 
the same chalice which they have drained. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And bowing his head, He gave up the ghost." Si, JoJtn^ xix. 

" The just perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart." laaias^ 
Ivii. 

" For w^hy did Christ die for the ungodly ?" Romans^ v. 

" Christ died for us." Ibid, 

" For to this end Christ died, and rose again ; that He might 
be Lord both of the living and the dead." Romans^ xiv. 

" For you are dead : and your life is hidden with Christ in God." 
Colossians, iii. 



HOLY SATURDAY. 

ON THE BURIAL OF OUR LORD. 

1st Point. They took Jesus from the cross. He descended 
from it only after his death, and through the obedience which He 
rendered to God his Father, and to those who detached Him from 
it. It was necessary for Him to remain there while He lived, to 
die there, and be taken down only after death. Should you not 
detach yourself from worldly things and be all to God ? Ought 
you not to become like a dead body, that remains where it is 
placed, and never complains of what is done to it ? 

2d Point. Jesus was taken from the cross to the tomb. Be- 
hold the end of his works ! Behold the place of his repose ! Be- 



HOLY SATURDAY. 261 

hold the termination of his laborious travels ! It was for this that 
He came into the world. After many sutferiiigs you will also 
come hither, and find rest in the grave, if you have not enjoyed it 
in your life, and have died on the cross. The disciples almost 
lost hope ; their charity was weak, if not quite dead ; they were 
sad and downcast, because they were deprived of the sensible 
presence of their divine Master, and could neither see nor hear 
Him. Oh, how often this happens ! 

3d Point. When Jesus was taken down from the cross how 
eagerly his holy Mother received Him in her arms. But unut- 
terable grief was blended with her consolation when she beheld 
Him covered with blood and wounds from his head to his feet ! 
His sacred body was washed with her tears ; his wounded hands, 
feet, and side were kissed with tenderness, awe, and anguish. 
His agonies were over, but the dolors of Mary continued. Her 
heart was wrung with new pangs when they took Him away to 
entomb Him. Her afflictions were increased by this separation. 
What did she say *? W'^hat were her thoughts while gazing on this 
sad spectacle'? She did not abandon herself to grief, or fall into 
impatience, but was resigned to the separation from that which 
was most dear to her, because it was the will of God. Imitate 
her example, suffer the loss of all that you most prize and love, 
and sacrihce every thmg to the will of God, who orders all things 
for your good. 

Happy is he who receives Jesus when He descends from the 
cross. The gram of mustard must die, and be buried in the earth, 
ere it can bring forth fruit. Jesus is on the altar as truly as He 
was on the cross : the altar is Calvary, your heart the sepulchre 
where He desires to rest afler the great sacrifice of his love. It is 
the place He has chosen for his burial, and where He ought to be 
kept by a constant renewal of grace and penance. Joseph of 
Arimathea gave our Lord his sepulchre : will you refuse Him 
yours 1 Nicodemus brought sweet spices and new linen for his 
burial : oh it will be rendered precious and glorious for Him if 
you prepare the sepulchre with the rich perfume of humility and 
devotion ! Oh, Christian soul, make ready for the burial of Jesus 
in your heart. 

4th Point. Happy is he who is crucified and buried with Jesus, 
who is hidden on earth from the eyes of men, who is unknown, 
numbered as it were Avith the dead, and remembered no more ; 
lie will soon rise, with Jesus, immortiil and impassible like Him. 
Happy is he who preserves his faith in the obscurity of the 
senses, who loses not his hope because all sensible support is 



262 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

withdrawn, and who does not cease to love when deprived of all 
consolation. 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, Thou didst truly become a hidden God, 
being wrapped in linen, buried in a sepulchre, and numbered with 
the dead ; hide me in thy bosom, let me be buried with Thee, let 
me no longer be esteemed or known among men, let me die to all 
my senses, and be separated from all my desires. I am ready to 
follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest, in company with. Thee 1 
have nothing to fear. 

Hell, with Thee, w^ould be heaven ; without Thee, heaven would 
be hell. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And Joseph, taking the body, wrapped it up in a clean linen 
cloth ; and laid it in his own new monument, which he had hewn 
out of a rock." SL Matt xxvii. 

' " Woman, why weepest thou 1 Because they have taken away 
my Lord, and 1 know not where they have laid Him." SL 
John., XX. 

" And Nicodemus also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and 
aloes. They took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it in 
linen cloths with the spices." SL Jolin^ xix. 

'• My soul is filled with evils ; and my life hath drawn nigh to 
hell." Psalm Ixxxvii. 

" I am counted with them that go down to the pit : I am be- 
come as a man without help, free among the dead." Ibid, 

" They have laid me in the lower pit ; in the dark places, and 
in the shadow of death." Ibid, 



EASTER SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. Marh^ xvi. 1-T. 

" At that time Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James 
and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint 
Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, 
they came to the sepulchre, the sun being now^ risen. And they 
said one to the other : Who shall roll us back the stone from the 
door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled 
back. For it was very groat. And entering into the sepulchre, 
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a 
white robe : and thev were astonished. Who saith to them : Be 



EASTER SUNDAY. 263 

not affrighted : you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified . 
He is risen; He is not here; behold the place where they laid 
Him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, that He goeth before 
you into Galilee : there you shall see Him, as He told you. 

ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. 

1st Point. Jesus has risen. He has come glorious and impas- 
sible from the tomb, He is victorious over death, Pie has broken 
the gates of hell, triumphed over Satan, and stripped him of his 
spoils ; terrified the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre, con- 
founded the Jews, triumphed over his enemies, and enjoys at 
the present moment, a life of infinite glory. My soul, weep no 
more ; Jesus will die no more in his body ; take care that you do 
not make Him. die in your heart. 

2d Point. Jesus has risen in our souls, entered into the kingdom 
of our hearts and spirits, driven the devil therefrom, triumphed 
over our sins, which held us slaves, remained in us by his grac^ 
lived by his spirit, reigned by his love, and rested in peace. M^ 
soul, weep no* more ; Jesus has risen to a better life ; He will die 
no more in his body ; but be watchful lest you make Him die in 
your heart. 

.3d Point. All the Church has risen with Jesus ; all its body has 
come from his sepulchre ; all its members are reanimated by the 
spirit of penance ; all who were spiritually dead have risen with 
Plim ; He has now only to give them the Paschal Lamb to eat. 
Woman, why weepest thou '? Jesus is no longer dead in the sepul- 
chre ; He has risen to a new life ; He will die no more in his body ; 
but take care that your sins do not make Him die in your heart. 

Oh, Jesus, divine Master ! ascend not so soon into heaven ; re- 
main with us to strengthen our faith, hope, and charity ; behold 
this holy Easter Sunday is nearly over, night approaches, the 
spirits of evil assemble and conspire against us, the lion cometh 
forth seeking my soul to devour it, my passions begin to revolt, 
my old habits revive, the world takes arms against me, and my 
flesh torments me with divers temptations. Oh, Jesus, thy life, 
within me is not in safety ; they conspire thy death, and seek to 
renew thy sufferings. All the wicked and impenitent clamor to- 
gether to drive Thee from the world, scourge and crucify Thee 
again. Defend thyself, oh my Saviour, and do not permit me 
to destroy thy life in my heart. 



264 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Oh-, senseless Galatians ! ungrateful Christians ! know ye not 
that Josus was crucified for you ? You wept at the cross, and at 
his burial, and now that He has risen, you only think how you 
may renew his passion and deprive Him of life! You prepare 
the whips to scourge Him, thorns to crown Plim, and a cross 
whereon to crucify Him ! What has He done to merit such 
treatment '? Is He criminal because He has loved you infinitely ? 
Does He deserve death for having saved you from death eternal 1 
My soul, weep no, more, Jesus is risen; He will die no more in 
your heart, if sin does not crucify Him therein. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." St. 
Luke^ xxiv. 

" Knowing that Christ, rising again from the dead, dieth now 
no more, death shall na more have dominion over Him." Ro- 
mans^ vi. 

" If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above ; 
where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God." Colosslans, iii. 

" Mind the things that are above, not the things that are on 
earth. For vou are dead : and your life is hidden with Christ in 
God." Ibid. 

" Crucifying to themselves the Son of God, and making a 
mockery of Him." Hebreivs^ vi. % 



EASTER MONDAY. 

ON THE BAD EFFECTS OF SADNESS. 

1st Point. Jesus having met two of his (Jisciples who were on 
their way into the country, and who were conversing with sor- 
rowful countenances of all that had happened. He incpired the 
cause of their sadness. 

A sad or melancholy person dishonors God. His despondency 
is expressive of a great want of confidence in his Creator ; it ar- 
raigns his Providence, or accuses Him of injustice and want of 
knowledge. " It is I," says God, " who deprive you of this bless- 
ing ; it is I who permit this persecution ; it is I who visit you with 
afiiiction and sickness," and you presume to murmur and com- 
plain ! You murmur not with your lips, but your heart is filled 



E\STER MONDAY. 205 

with bitter rebellion against my decrees, and you say within your- 
sc4f : There is no God, or if there be, He is unjust, or wants wis- 
dom, or knows not how to -govern his creatures. 

2d Point. Persons of this class scandalize their fellow beings, 
inspire them with contempt and dislike for virtue and piety, and 
cause them to turn away from the service of a God who has no 
better reward for his servants than anxiety and gloom. They dis- 
turb the peace of families by ill humor and discontent. They are 
easily angered ; and are a burden to their superiors, ill tempered 
towards their equals, and insupportable to their inferiors. Their 
conversation is bitter and without charity. They are displeased 
at all that happens ; vexed if one laughs, sad if one weeps, and 
inconvenienced when one visits them. They are embittered and 
filled with contempt if they are abandoned to their own miserable 
society. All their senses and thoughts are sad. They set no 
bounds to, and have no control over, this dangerous passion. 

3d Point. A melancholy person becomes lost to his true and 
better self He is consumed with gloom and vexation. His heart 
is a hell, which is filled with despair and weeping ; and hell being 
the abode of the devil, this dark and dissatisfied spirit has a right 
to enter therein and remain. Swiftly he seizes the occasion, and, 
taking possession, he soon urges the miserable heart, wherein he 
reigns, to despair, engages it in all manner of vices, and proposes 
to it every pleasure which is sensual and degrading, in place of 
those which are spiritual and heavenly. Oh mistaken man, who 
seeketh such a remedy to heal thy disorders, and cure thy dis- 
eased soul ! 

Oh Jesus ! joy of angels and of men ! Thou who didst reprove 
thy disciples for being sad, although they had so good a reason 
for being so ; Thou who during thy mortal life wast never irritated, 
disquieted, or disturbed, although grief and tribulation were never 
wanting to Thee ; abandon me not to this dangerous and insidious 
passion ; though I may sometimes have cause for sadness, still I 
desire to rest my heart in Thee, knowing that Thou disposest of 
all things well. I wish, henceforth, to honor thy Providence by 
a resigned and contented spirit; to edify my neighbor by the 
peace of my heart and the serenity of my countenance ; I wish to 
convince all the world that I serve the best of masters, and that I 
am happy in his service ; I wish to begin my heaven in this life 
that it may continue after death. Should a servant of God be 
sad, gloomy, or discontented] Help me by thy grace, sweet 
Lord, that I may never be so. 
12 



266 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He shall not be sad nor troublesome." Isaias^ xlii. 

" As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Corinthians^ yi. 

" In every gift show a cheerful countenance, and sanctify thy 
tithes with joy." Ucclesiasticus^ xxxvi. 

" Be not as the hypocrites, sad." St, Matthew^ vi. 

" Why art thou sad, O my soul % and why dost thou trouble 
mel" Psalm xli. 



EASTER TUESDAY. 



ON PEACE OF SOUL. 

1st Point. Jesus presented himself in the midst of his disciples 
and said to them : " Peace he to you,'''' 

All men desire peace ; it is the fruit of the resurrection of the 
Saviour. He imparted it to his disciples and to his Church. 
Why, then, is my heart so much and so often agitated and dis- 
quieted ? Why is it that, having ardently desired peace, I do not 
possess it? It is, doubtless, because I submit too much to my 
senses, and am too much attached to my own will ; or that I have 
rebelled against the guidance of my superiors, and have not sub- 
mitted to the holy rule of obedience. It is because 1 do not wish 
to suffer, and entertain some secret desire that occasions this 
bodily fever ; it is because I am ambitious and envious, and seek 
with too much anxiety my temporal interests. 

2d Point. I am not at peace. Is it not because I wage war with 
God, resist his will, and oppose the order of his Providence 1 Am 
I not unwilling to submit to Him my understanding and judg- 
ment? Are not my wishes contrary to his designs, and my de- 
sires opposed to his law ? Am I in the place, employment or 
state, wherein He designed me to be? Do I not frequently break 
his commandments, and departs from his ways ? 

3d Point. Who can be at peace that wages war with God? 
Who can be good within himself while separated from the. grace 
of God ? An arm that has been dislocated causes much suffering, 
even after being restored to its proper place. A stone removed 
from its centre continues unsteady, even after it is restored to 
that centre. You can never know peace, or be in the place or 
state in which God desires you to be, or co-operate with Him in 



EASTER WEDNESDAY. 267 

his designs for your salvation, unless you renounce your own 
judgment and will; desire nothing inordinately or with anxiety, 
detach yourself entirely from creatures, then only shall you enjoy 
a profound peace. 

Oh, my soul ! if you oppose yourself to God He will be against 
you ; if you disturb the order of his peace He will destroy yours ; 
if you submit to the divine order of his grace it will sustain and 
keep you forever. Desire nothing, and you shall have all ; seek 
nothing, and you shall find all ; do the will of God, and He will 
do yours : give Him all that He demands, and He will give you 
all that you need. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He will do the will of them that fear Him." Psalm cxliv. 

" From whence are wars and contentions among you % Come 
they not hence from your concupiscences ?" St. James^ iv. 

" Glory to God in the liighest ; and on earth peace to men of 
good will." St, LuJce^ ii. 

" Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you : not as the 
world giveth, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, 
nor let it be afraid." St. John^ xiv. 

" Much peace have they that love thy law." Psalm cxviii. 



EASTER WEDNESDAY. 

ON SPIRITUAL JOY. 

1st Point. It is the privilege only of good men to rejoice, be- 
cause their conscience is void of guile, which is in itself, a per- 
petual feast, as the wise man says ; because they have God abid- 
ing in their hearts, which is an unfailing source of consolation ; 
because they are always in his presence, which is the paradise of 
heaven and earth ; because they are under his almighty protec- 
tion, which makes their peace and assurance ; because they receive 
continual marks of his favor, by the blessings spiritual and tem- 
poral that He bestows on them ; because they have evident signs 
of their predestination, and an almost certain assurance of salva- 
tion, which is of all things the most joyful and consoling. Ah! 
why, then, are you cast down? Do you doubt the goodness and 
mercy of God ? Do you doubt the worth and efficacy of the blood 
of his Son ? • 



268 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. The joy of the wicked is false, shameful, vain, im- 
pure, and superficial ; it is a joy which is sensual and embittered 
b}^ sorrow and disappointments ; it is short lived, fleeting and 
transitory, and its fruits are eternal tears and sighs. Oh, my 
God, it is in the order of thy justice that the sinner should find 
his punishment even in his sin. 

3d Point. Good men are afflicted in this life ; but it is in afflio- 
tion that the true servant of God most rejoices, because he re- 
ceives it as the true mark of his Father's love, which enables him 
to reciprocate that love by the faithfulness of his trust and the 
fidelity of his service. A friend is not proved by prosperity, but 
by adversity. God proves his well beloved. He leads them, 
like the soldiers of Gideon, to the waters of tribulation ; but, afler 
having tested their courage, their fidelity, patience, and love. He 
fills them with consolation, and forces them to cry out, with St. 
Francis Xavier : " It is enough, oh my God, it is enough." 

But w^hat higher honor can we desire than to suffer for Jesus 
Christ ? What greater consolation than to receive pledges of our 
salvation, and participate in the griefs of so good a Master ? It is 
this consideration w^hich renders good men so contented amidst 
tribulation, so happy in their sufferings. 

Are you a servant of Jesus Christ, you w^ho weep, who mur- 
mur, who esteem yourselves miserable, w^hen some misfortune 
befalls you, or when you are visited by affliction 1 Oh my God, 
how great and abundant is the consolation Thou dost reserve for 
those who love Thee ! Sinners seek their consolation in sensuai 
delights which perish, but for me, I will rejoice only in God my 
Saviour. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Rejoice in the Lord always : again, I say, rejoice." Philip, iv. 

" Rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven." SL 
LuJce^ X. 

" Rejoice and be exceeding glad, because your reward is very 
great in heaven." St, Matt v. 

" This I know from the beginning, since man was placed upon 
earth. That the praise of the wicked is short, and the joy of the 
hypocrite but for a moment." Job^ xx. 

" Wo to you that laugh now : for you shall mourn and weep." 
SL Luke^ vi. 



EASTER THURSDAY. 269 

EASTER THURSDAY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The joy of good men is honorable to God, and a 
certain evidence to the world that they serve a benign and gen- 
erous Master. Others in search of happiness, on beholding their 
contentment and joy, are led to choose the same service. The 
wicked look for it in the unrestrained indulgence of sensuality, 
until, finding themselves the slaves of a cruel tyrant who deceives 
them, and being won by the happiness of the children of God, they 
seek his service, and find that true peace of soul which passeth all 
human understanding. 

2d Point. A servant of God, who is melancholy and despond- 
ing, dishonors his Master, disgraces his service, makes devotion 
repulsive, and inspires contempt for piety and virtue. His ex- 
ample has the bad effect of making sinners think that the yoke of 
the Son of God is insupportable, and that more is to be gained 
and enjoyed in the service of the devil than in his. Consider, oh 
base and unfaithful servant, all that He has done for you. Is this 
your gratitude, to renew his passion 1 Is He a tyrant ? Are 
your desires for happiness so insatiable that God himself is not 
capable of satisfjdng you ] Who, or w^hat can content you if He 
does not ? " Retire from my service," the Son of God will say to 
these scandalous Christians, "you are a burden and discredit to it. 
I honor my Father, and you dishonor Him. Ye are traitors to 
my interests, a scandal to my name, and I will that ye depart 
from the company of my faithful ones 1" 

8d Point. To possess this spiritual joy, it is necessary to have 
a good conscience and a heart detached from creatures ; to aban- 
don one's self to the Providence of God, and depend on his guidance ; 
to desire nothing inordinately, but to be indifferent to all ; to love 
sufferings, and have no other will than God's, and no other desire 
than to please Him ; to fly from the pleasures of earth, and seek 
not the consolation of the senses, for sensual joy quenches all 
spiritual delights ; to think always of God, the blessings we have 
received frotn Him, and the infinite reward He has prepared for 
us in his eternal kingdom. 

words of SCRIPTURE. 

" I set the Lord always in my sight : for He is at my right 



270 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

hand, that I be not moved. Therefore my heart hath been glad, 
and my tongue hath rejoiced." Psalm xv. ' 

]My God, what consolation and joy it is to have Thee ever be- 
fore me, and to know Thou art ever near me to sustain and com- 
fort me ! 

" My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour." Luke., i. 

Does your soul glorify the Lord as did the Holy Virgin's? 
Does your spirit rejoice in God your Saviour ? 

" Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just : praise becometh the upright." 
Psalm xxxii. 

It is only those who have an upright heart who are privileged 
to rejoice. If your heart is agitated by vexation, or filled with 
bitterness, and does not praise and give glory to God, it is evident 
that it is not right before Him. 

"I am filled Avith comfort: I exceedingly abound with joy in 
all our tribulation." 2 CorintJtians^ vii. 

If you love God, as St. Paul did, you will rejoice in tribulation, 
and complain only of having so little to sufier. 



EASTER FRIDAY. 

HOW A SOUL MAY RISE PERFECT WITH JESUS. 

1st Point. The first degree of perfection is to become as a pil- 
grim and sojourner on earth. Second, to sufier and be crucified 
with our Lord. Third, to die on the cross, and not be separated 
from it until after death. Fourth, to be buried with Him. Fifth, 
to descend with Him even into hell. Then those w^ho have fol- 
lowed Jesus whithersoever He goeth will rise with Him, and en- 
ter into a state of peace and impassibility. 

2d Point. The Christian pilgrim should not attach himself to 
objects he may meet in the way. He who is crucified cannot go 
w^here, or do, what he desires. ^ Death feels nothing, and complains 
of nothing. We trample under foot the body that is yi the earth. 
One is without consolation in hell. Consider in which of these 
states you are at this time, and wdiether you have died to rise a 
new^ and perfect life with Christ. 

3d Point. Oh sacred nothingness, wherein the soul loses its 
being to be transformed into God ! Oh living sepulchre, wherein 



EASTER SATURDAY. 271 

the just do penance in solitude ! Oh gospel field, where the 
treasures of grace and peace are hidden ! Oh living earth, wherein 
the grain dies, and is buried, to rise again ! 

Oh m^ God ! in Thee alone dwell all sweetness and consolation. 
I would rather be with Thee, amidst infinite sufferings, than be in 
heaven without Thee. Oh sweet Jesus ! if Thou wouldst always 
remain on earth, who would desire to exchange it for heaven ? 
Oh that I may be of the number of those living dead, who rest in 
the tomb of their senses and passions, that, like them, I may rise 
perfect with Jesus ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Dearly beloved, I beseech you, as strangers and pilgrims, to 
refrain yourselves from carnal desires, which war against the 
soul." 1 Feter^ ii. 

" With Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not 
I, but Christ liveth in me." Galatians.^ ii. 

" For you are dead : and your life is hidden with Christ in God." 
Colas sia 71 s^ iii. 

" Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live 
also together with Christ. So do you also reckon yourselves to 
be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Jesus Christ our 
Lord." Romans^ vi. 

" Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell." Psalm xv. 



EASTER SATURDAY. 

ON the joy of the blessed virgin on beholding her son 
after his resurrection.- 

1st Point. Morning succeeds night ; spring time, winter ; calm, 
a tempest ; rest, labor ; life, death ; consolation, grief and afflic- 
tion. God condemns the wicked, after death, to a twofold degree 
of punishment in proportion to their works, to multiply their suf- 
ferings, and to plunge them in infinite woe as often as they for- 
merly plunged in carnal delights. But it was the will •of Al 
mighty God that his Son should render to his Blessed INIother a 
twofold reward for her good works, and multiply her pleasures 
in proportion to the bitter sorrows she had endured ; and, as 
she had been plunijed into an abyss of grief, to plunge her into 



272 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

a sea of joy. Oh, who can fathom this abyss ? oh, who can 
measure it ? 

2d Point. Jesus appeared to his holy Mother. Was it not just 
that He should afford this consolation to her who had gwen Him 
life ; to her who had assisted at his death on Calvary ; to her who 
had loved Him above all creatures ; to her whom He loved better 
than all mankind ? If joy is measured by grief, who could be 
more consoled than she, who, beyond all others, had been the 
most afflicted 1 Who should have been the first consoled, if not 
she who first loved and suffered for Him, who loved her Son 
from the moment of his conception, and was pierced with a 
sword of grief forty days after his birth ? 

Oh, what an interview of joy this must have been ! Oh, what 
heavenly discourse ! Oh, what pleasure ! Oh holy Virgin, oh 
happy mother of the newly risen Lord, when 1 remember all 
thy bitter dolors at the foot of the cross, I know that, without a 
miracle, thou must have died. But I am no longer amazed at 
that, since thou didst not die with joy when He appeared to thee 
after his resurrection. 

3d Point. Why, oh my soul, do you weep, and why are you 
cast down at this season of rejoicing ? Do you say that you are 
dead, that you are buried, that you are still in hell and without 
consolation on earth 1 Lift up your head and rejoice, you are 
going to rise with your Saviour, glorious, impassible, and im- 
mortal ! Behold this little silk-worm, which, a moment ago, was 
buried in its shell, it is now risen ; it was ugly and disgusting, it 
is now beautiful ; it was black, behold it now as white as snow ; 
it was heavy and crawled on the earth, but it is now light, it un- 
folds its wings and soars upwards. Behold how, ere long, you 
may be transformed and also arise. You are dead by penance 
and buried in labors, but the Spirit of God says : It istime to 
rest; He is going to wipe off your tears, and you are going to 
enjoy the fruit of your works. 

Oh, most holy Virgin ! oh, source of love and grief! I prayed 
thee, on Calvary, to let me take part in thy griefs ; now, oh 
mother of sorrow and consolation, I supplicate thee to allow me 
to take part in thy joy. Dry my tears, disperse this sadness, and 
show unto me thy risen Son, that I may invite Him into my heart 
and hear Him say : '''Peace be unto you,^^ Show me his wounds, 
remain with me, and never leave me. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear." Psalm xvi. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 273 

" According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, thy 
comforts have, given joy to my soul." Psahn xciii. 

" In the evening weeping shall have place, and in the morning 
gladness." Psalm xxix. 

"Arise, O my glory; arise, psaltery and harp: I will arise 
early." Psahn. Ivi. 



FIRST SUNDAY LN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

The Gospel. St. JoJin^ xx. 19-31. 

" At that time when it was late that same day, being the first 
day of the week, and the doors were shut, when the° disciples 
were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came, and 
stood in the midst, and said to them : Peace be to you. And 
when he had said this, he showed them his hands, and his side. 
The disciples, therefore, were glad, when they saw the Lord. 
And He said to them again : Peace be to you. As the Father 
hath sent me, I also send you. When He had said this, He 
breathed on them : and He said to them : Receive ye the Holy 
Ghost : whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them : and 
whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained. Now Thomas, one 
of the twelve, who is called Didymus, w\as not with them when 
Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him : We have 
seen the Lord. But he said to them : Unless I shall see in his 
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the place of the 
nails, and put my hands into his side, I will not believe. And 
after eight days, his disciples were again within, and Thomas with 
them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the 
midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then He said to Thomas: 
Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy 
hand, and put it into my side, and be not faithless but believing. 
Thomas answered, and said to Him : My Lord, and my God. 
Jesus saith to him : Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou 
hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and have be- 
lieved. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his dis- 
ciples, which are not written in this book. But thes'e are written, 
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: 
and that believing, you may ha 76 life in his name." 
12* 



274 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



ON THE WOUNDS OF OUR LORD. 

1st Point. For us the wounds of Jesus Christ are sources of 
light, strength and consolation ; they enlighten our faith, sustain 
our hope, and increase our charity. Can we doubt the love of 
Jesus when we see his sacred heart wounded for us ? Can we 
conceive the slightest distrust of our salvation, knowing that 
Jesus is our advocate with the Father ? His wounds are so many 
mouths, by which He perpetually intercedes for us. The nails 
were the keys which opened this ark of our salvation. All the 
treasures that were therein enclosed are now ours; we can cancel 
our debts, and purchase heaven. 

2d Point. Though risen, Jesus retains his wounds. Do not, 
therefore, be amazed if your soul, after your spiritual resurrec- 
tion,* still discovers its wounds and infirmities ; it is no sin to feel 
them, but there is much merit in suffering them, provided it is 
done with humility and patience. Be impassible to your pas- 
sions, stand firm in your temptations, shelter yourself in the 
wounds of your Saviour, when you are pursued and assailed by 
evil spirits ; there you shall find a safe sanctuary, there you shall 
find exceeding peace. 

3d Point. Jesus entered into the room where his disciples 
were, the doors being closed, and said to them : " Peace be to you,^^ 
When you shut the doors of your senses our most blessed Lord 
will enter into your heart and give you his peace, which passeth 
all knowledge. Blessed the day and the moment when Jesus 
shall enter into your heart, without passing the doors of the 
senses, spirit, reason, or imagination. It is what He does at the 
feast of the Lamb. Happy Thomas who put his hand into the 
sacred side of the Lord, but more happy he, who, in holy com- 
munion, receives from Him the kiss of peace ; for one believed 
that only which he saw, the other believes what he has never 
seen. Exclaim, with Thomas, with all your heart, when you feel 
devotion, and meditate on his sacred wounds : " Mi/ Lord and my 
Godr But do not say, with him, ^'- 1 mill not believe except I see^ 
feel, and touchy 

Oh, Jesus my Saviour, thy wounds console me ; they assure 
me of thy love ; they encourage me under affliction and tempta- 
tion ; they are a precious balm, which cures my wounds and re- 
joices my heart ! Who will dare accuse me, knowing that Thou 
art my advocate ? Who will condemn me, seeing that Thou art 



MONDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 275 

my judge ? Who will declare himself against me, knowing that 
Thou art my God and my Saviour, and will declare thyself for me] 
Oh my Saviour ! imprint these characters of love, these sacred 
stigmata, equally on my soul and body. Who would like to be, 
henceforth, without wounds, knowing the love Thou hadst for 
thine, which led Thee to retain them even in heaven'? Who will 
find misery and grief in that which made the heaven of the saints ] 
Oh, I cannot respect my heart if it is not wounded like thine ; I 
cannot love my flesh, if it is not covered with wounds like thine. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He showed them his hands and his feet." aS'^. Luke^ xxiv. 

" He showed them his hands and side." St, John^ xx. 

" What are these wounds in the midst of thy hands ? And He 
shall say : With these I was wounded in the house of them that 
loved me." Zacharias^ xiii. 

" Behold, I have graven thee in my hands." Isaias, xlix. 



MONDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

^^iritwal Canticle. 

OF A SOUL THAT HAS FOUND PEACE. 

1st Point. All my desire is, in desiring nothing; all m-y will, 
in wishing for nothing ; all my care, in sighing for nothing ; all 
my good, in possessing nothing. 

2d Point. I have found the well-beloved of my heart ; I will 
hold Him, and will not let Him go. I sought Him far away, and 
lo 1 He is here ; I sought Him in tumult, and have found Him in 
silence ; sought Him amidst the crowd, and found Him in soli- 
tude ; sought Him in my mind, and found Him in my heart ; 
sought Him by day, and found Him at night. 

3d Point. He entered into my soul when all the doors were 
closed. He said : ''''Peace be with you ; be not afraid^ it is /." 
I did not see Him, but I heard Him, and my heart felt his presence. 
He has filled me with joy ; He has wiped away my tears.; He 
has satisfied my desires, and filled me with delights. Happy are 
those who enjoy the rest of the saints ! Happy are those who 
are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb ! Happy are those 
to whom the risen Saviour has given the bread of honey to eat ! 



276 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" Now when it was late, that same day, being the first of the 
week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered 
together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came, and stood in the midst, 
and said to them : Peace be to you." SL John^ xx. 



TUESDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

ON SINGULARITY. 

1st Point. Thomas was singular. He withdrew himself from 
the society and community of the disciples. His sentiments were 
peculiar, and he was not disposed to yield to those of his brethren. 
He esteemed himself more wise than St. Peter and the rest. He 
continued in his wanderings and incredulity eight days. He would 
never have seen his risen Lord, if he had not returned to the com- 
munity. 

To be singular in opinion or sentiment* indicates a proud, fool- 
ish, and vain heart ; but to differ from the world in manners, or 
in the choice of a vocation, shows a wise and virtuous spirit. 
Peculiar or singular opinions, when indulged in, render persons 
heretical ; but singular devotion of heart makes them perfect. It 
is necessary for Christians to believe as many, and live as few. 
To believe what all the faithful believe, but not to govern our 
lives by the example of all the faithful. To believe with them all 
that the Holy Church believes and teaches, and what we have al- 
ways believed, is to be Catholic. But to live like those members 
whose lives do not correspond with the faith they profess, is not 
the sign of a good Catholic. Universality of belief is a mark of 
true faith ; universality of conduct is not a mark of a good life, 
because vice is more common and general than virtue, and the 
wicked by far outnumber those who follow the footsteps of Jesus 
Christ. 

2d. Point. A religious who seeks to be singular, is deprived of 
the graces of the community. Common observances are prefer- 
able to particular ; the common are in the order of grace, and the 
particular far from it. Rules are the ways of grace established 
for our perfection ; but such as are singular in their devotion or 
opinions are not, of necessity, recipients of grace. Irregular vir- 
tues are great only in the eyes of the world. Jesus appeared only 



WEDNESDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 277 

in the house where his disciples v.'ere. The Holy Ghost descended 
on them, when '"''they were all together in one place^ 'persevering 
toith one inind in prayer.'^'' A member or limb separated from 
the body is without life or motion. If you separate yourself 
from the community, you will no lono-er have the communitv 
spirit, and you will not see the risen Saviour. 

3d Point. Be in the community, but do not imitate the lives 
or example of all the members thereof; keep the same observ- 
ances and obey the same rules, but not as all do; do not dis- 
tinguish yourself from the rest by external acts of devotion or 
mortification, but by interior spiritual acts; perform the com- 
mon acts of your vocation with the rest, but not in a cold or com- 
mon manner ; let them be animated with more love, fervor, and 
a great desire for perfection. The Pharisee distinguished himself 
by exterior devotion, the Publican by interior ; the one w^as re- 
proved by our Lord, while the other was justified and blessed 
with his approbation. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Now Thomas was not with them, when Jesus came." St, 
Jolin^ XX. 

"The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I 
give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men." aS^^. 
Lnke^ xviii. 

" If one fall, he shall be supported by the other ; woe to him 
that is alone ; for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up." 
EcclesiaMes^ iv. 

"The boar out of the wood hath laid it (the vineyard) waste: 
and a singular wild beast hath devoured it." Psalm Ixxix. 

" I h^e gone astray like a sheep that is lost." Psalm cxviii. 



WEDNESDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER, 



ON THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF GOD. 

1st Point. Hear the w^ords of God without argument, obey 
Him without murmuring, follow Him w^ithout straying from his 
sight, abandon* yourself to the will of God without resistance, 
hope in God without doubting, rest in Him without disquietude, 
resign yourself to the divine Providence of God without fearing 
or desiring any thing, lose yourself in God without asking or refus- 



278 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ing any thing. This is the science of the saints, and the most per- 
fect state that can be attained in this life. 

2d Point. If you dispose yourself to listen to God, He ,/ill 
speak to you. If you do his will, He declares by the mouth of 
his prophet that He wHl do yours."* If you follow Him, you 
will not go astray. If you resign yourself entirely to his divine 
Providence, all will go well with you. If you trust in Him, 
nothing doubting. He Avill fill you with blessings. If you abandon 
yourself to Him, He will never abandon you in life or death, in 
time or eternity. 

Oh my God ! Thou art my wisdom, my consolation, and hope. 
I am safe only under thy protection. If I wander from thy care, 
the foe of my soul lies in wait to devour me, like a sheep that has 
gone astray from the shepherd. Oh do not, then, abandon me to 
the suggestions and devices of my own mind, but guide, govern, and 
lead me to heaven by the road which is best pleasing to thyself. 

3d Point. Enlighten my footsteps, oh my God ! If I go astray, 
lead me back. If I loiter on the way, or stand still, urge, press, 
and sting me, until I swiftly resume my journey. If I fall, raise 
me. If I am weak, strengthen me. If I am feeble, carry me. 
If I am attacked, defend me. If I am bewildered or lost, oh, in 
mercy, seek me until Thou findest me. 

I submit myself joyfully to the guidance of thy wisdom ; I 
rest on thy goodness, lean on thy strength, trust in thy mercy, 
resign myself to thy will, devote myself to thy service, abandon 
myself to thy love and Providence, in time and eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way." Psalm Ixxxvr 
"Protect me under the shadow of thy wings." Psalm^Yi, 
" He will do the will of them that fear Him." Psalm cxliv. 
" She (Wisdom) conducted them in a wonderful way ; and she 
was to them for a covert by day, and for the light of stars by 
night." Wisdom^ x. 

" I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost : seek thy ser- 
vant." Psalm cxviii. 

" I am the light of the world : he that followeth me walketh 
not in darkness, but shall have the light of life." St, John^ viii. 

* "He will do the will of those that fear Him." PsahnXuMY, 



"^ FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 279 

THURSDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

ON THE EVILS OF STRAYING FROM GOD. 

1st Point. Thomas was not where he ought to have been, hence 
his incredulity. He who forsakes the order of God's goodness 
enters into that of his justice. He who has not God for a friend 
has Him for an enemy. He who leaves the ways of his consola- 
tion enters into those of his severity. He who fnes from his 
beneficent will falls under the effects of his powerful will. '"Know^ 
then^ and see^ that it is an evil and bitter thing for thee to have left 
the Lord thy God.'' 

2d Point. If I am in the place, state, or employment wherein 
God desires me to be, I shall find certain rest and security. It 
will be the care of his wisdom to govern me, his power to defend 
me, his goodness to console me, his grace to sanctify me, his mercy 
to encompass me, his sanctity to purify me, his happiness to de- 
fend me from evil and sustain me in good. All will succeed and 
go well with me according to my desire. 

3d Point. If I am not in the place, state, or employment 
wherein God wishes me to be, all my steps will be wandering ; 
the paths that I follow, perilous ; my plans, illusions ; my works, 
useless ; my pleasures will become miseries ; my prosperity, 
chastisement ; my adversity and afflictions, despair. In fine, my 
existence will become a hell, wherein L shall only know bitter 
tears and sighs. 



FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. If I am not where God desires me to be, I shall 
have no rest in my soul, peace in my heart, blessing on my works, 
consolation in my pain, succor in my combats, or assistance when 
I fall. I shall be abandoned to my passions, assailed by continual 
temptations, destitute of the grace of God, deprived of his protec- 
tion, and under the malediction of his infinite justice. My life 
will be evil, and, like Cain, I shall become a slave. My expecta- 
tions of a happy death will perish, and, as I have lived contrary 



280 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

in all things to the desire and ^\■ill of God, despair will attend my 
last hour, and be mine throughout eternity. " Knoiv^ then^ and 
see, that it is a7i evil and bittei^ thing for thee to have left the Lord 
thy God:' 

2d Point. Am I where God desires me to be? Have I not 
strayed from the order of his Providence ? Am I not mistaken in 
my vocation ? Is it He who has given me this employment ? 
Am I not intermeddling with an office of which I am ignorant ? 
Does Pie desire me to be in this state of life 1 Do I acquit my- 
self in a w^ay well pleasing to Him ? Do I not seek herein my 
own glory, satisfaction, and interest? 

3d Point. Oh my God ! I desire most earnestly to abandon 
myself to the guidance of thy divine Providence, and to be 
governed by my superiors. Oh! what happiness can compare 
with that of knowing that we are in the state God desires us to be 
in ; that we are suffering all that He sees good for us to endure ! 
Is it not heaven to be always with Thee ? Is it not hell to be 
far away from Thee, and at war with all thy designs ? What is 
there more consoling than to be under thy protection? What 
more miserable than to be abandoned to our passions ? 

Oh merciful God ! do not permit me to wander from thy ways 
and guidance. Bring me back if I go astray. Draw me by force 
if I am slothful in following Thee. Make me return to the order 
of thy goodness by the severe chastisements of thy justice. Make 
me repair by penance all that is wanting in my devotion, and 
recover my innocence by a holy love of mortification and penance. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. . 

" He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High shall abide un 
der the protection of the God of Jacob. 

" He will overshadow thee with his shoulders : and under his 
whigs thou shalt trust. 

" His truth shall compass thee with a shield : thou shalt not be 
afraid of the terror of the night. 

" There shall no evil come to thee : nor shall the scourge come 
near thy dwelling. 

" For He hath given his Angels charge over thee ; to keep thee 
in all thy ways." Psalm xc. 

" Prove me, O God, and know my heart : examine Ine, and 
know my paths ; and see if there be in me the way of iniquity : 
and lead me in the eternal way." Psalm cxxxviii. 



SATURDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 281 

SATURDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF EASTER. 

ON THE HUMILITY AND MODESTY OF THE HOLY VIRGIN. 

1st Point. Jesus manifested hi ttiself to the disciples in the 
place where they were assembled together. Why was not our 
Blessed Lady with them ? It was because they were incredulous, 
and did not fully believe the news of the resurrection of Christ. 
It was that our Lord designed on this occasion to confer on them 
the power to remit sins. It was for this reason that no women 
were present. It was, also, to teach virgins to be modest and re- 
tiring, avoid the company of men, and to hold no conversation but 
what is absolutely necessary, even with saints. 

2d Point. Mary was full of joy, but she did not go abroad to 
announce the resurrection of her Son. It is not the office of 
women to preach, and her doctrine would have been suspected. 
Holy and full of grace, Mary did not reprove the disciples on ac- 
count of their incredulity, although she had it in her power to do 
so, because she knew that it did not belong to women to instruct 
prelates, and she felt assured that her divine Son designed to es- 
tablish the belief of his resurrection on more certain and conclu- 
sive proofs than that of her testimony. 

The Mothei^ of our risen Lord, therefore, remained in solituae, 
silence and prayer, quietly awaiting the directions of her dear 
Son. It was thus she awaited the descent of the Holy Ghost, con- 
tinuing in silence and prayer during ten days ; but when she re- 
ceived Him, she did not go forth to instruct or speak publicly, 
but retired into the solitude of her own house to keep silence. 
Oh, what humility in a soul so fall of grace ! 

3d Point. Speak often with God, and little with men. Do not 
undertake to guide, instruct, or direct any, except such as have 
placed themselves under your spiritual care. Conceal, like our 
Blessed Lady, all your glory within. If it is your vocation to 
write or speak, do it in God, for God, and to obey God. But St. 
Paul prohibits women fr(»m preaching in public places. 

Oh my God, I am ashamed that I have attempted to teach that 
of which I am ignorant, and govern when I should have served. 
The Holy Virgin was full of wisdom and grace, and yet she 
uttered not a word; and I, who have neither grace, light, oi 
knowledge, assume the office of instructing others, and am be- 



282 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

come like a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. I am barren 
of fruits, because I lack charity. 

Oh Virgin, full of grace ! give me part in thy abundance until 
my soul becomes the humble recipient of all heavenly virtues. 
It is thou who givest light and words to all preachers and writers, 
inasmuch as thou hast given us the light of the world, and the 
word of God. Oh, enlighten my spirit with this divine light ; 
direct my tongue and my pen,^nd suffer not the instructions that 
I give others to become the cause of my judgment and condem- 
nation. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" My heart hath uttered a good word : I speak my works to the 
Kino; : 

" My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly." 
Psalm xliv. 

" All the glory of the King's daughter is within in golden 
borders, clothed about with varieties. 

" After her shall virgins be brought to the King : her neighbors 
shall be brought to thee. 

''They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing : they shall 
be brought into the temple of the King." Psalm xliv. 

" Let women keep silence in the churches : for it is not per- 
mitted to them to speak ; for it is a shame for a woman to speak 
in the church." 1 Corinthians^ xiv. 



-♦♦^ 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

The Gospel. St. John, x. 11-16. 

" At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisee : I am the good shep- 
herd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the 
hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep 
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and lea\^eth the sheep and flieth : 
and the wolf snatcheth and scattereth the sheep : and the hireling 
flieth, because he is a hireling : and he hath no care for his sheep. 
I am the good shepherd ; and I know mine, and mine know me ; 
as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father : and I lay 
down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have, that are 
not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my 
voice: and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 283 



ON THE GOSPEL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 

1st Point. Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd. He knows his 
sheep in general, and in particidar ; He knows them as He is 
known to his Father ; He gave his life for them ; He calls them 
all by name ; He leads them by the right, straight, and safe road ; 
He holds over them a special Providence, which He has not for 
the rest of the world ; He goes before them with his pastoral 
crook, which is the cross on which He died ; He brings them 
back when they wander astray ; He throws himself into the 
thorns that they may not entangle and wound themselves ; He 
lifts them up, and bears them on his shoulders back to the safe 
shelter of his fold, instead of chastising and scourging them. To 
manifest his joy He makes a great feast to celebrate their return. 

2d Point. Jesus is a good shepherd. He is a lamb in relation 
to his Father, and a shepherd in relation to men ; He loves his 
sheep tenderly ; He leads them into rich pastures where they eat, 
and are filled with delights; He gives them his flesh to eat, and 
his blood to drink ; He instructs them by his word ; He strength- 
ens them by his grace ; animates them by his spirit, and enriches 
them with his merits. What other shepherd would consent to 
feed his sheep with his body and blood 1 

3d Point. Jesus is a good shepherd. He gives his life for his 
flock ; He does not, like other shepherds, nourish himself with 
their flesh, or clothe himself with their fleece; on the contrary, 
He stripped himself of all, even of life, to clothe them ; He 
fasted all his life that they might be fed ; w^atched unceasingly 
over them, and labored for them without rest, that they might 
know consolation and repose ; He defends and protects them 
against the sanguinary foe who would devour them. When he 
prowls about the sheepfold and would enter, Jesus assists them 
in drivinor him ofl* and savino; their lives. 

4th Point. Jesus is a good shepherd. He never abandons his 
sheep. He raises them up when they fall, and carries them on 
his shoulders when they are weak ; consoles them when they are 
sorrowful, heals them when they are sick, raises them after death, 
and gives them eternal life. 

Oh Jesus, Good Shepherd, how is it that so many of thy sheep 
become evil and stray wickedly, maliciously and deliberately, from 
thy guidance? They will not eat at thy table; thy flesh and 
blood are now insipid, dry, dangerous, and mortal for them. So 



284 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

far from flying from the wolves who seek them they throw them- 
selves into their power, and take great pleasure in their company. 
They become like them, devour their companions, and spare not 
even Thee. They destroy thy life, and tear Thee with more cruel 
rage than thy enemies. 

Oh, my divine Shepherd ! I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou goest ; I will never wander from thy ways ; I will accom- 
pany Thee as gladly to Calvary as to Thabor ; I will descend 
with Thee even into hell. Oh, when wilt Thou conduct me to 
Mount Zion, where in celestial peace thy heavenly flocks repose ] 
When shall I sinor this beautiful canticle of the Saints in the New 
and heavenly Jerusalem . " The Lord ruleih me^ and I shall want 
nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture ; He hath brought 
me up on the loaier of refreshment. Thy rod and thy staffs they 
have comforted me." 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And He took away his own people as sh^ep ; and guided them 
in the wilderness like a flock." Psalm Ixxvii. 

" And I am not troubled, following Thee for my pastor." Jere- 
mias^ xvii. 

" He goeth before them : and the sheep follow Him, because 
they know his voice." Si. John, x. 

" And seeing the multitude. He had compassion on them ; be 
cause they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shep- 
herd." SL Matt. ix. 



SECOND MONDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Sheep love their shepherd. They hear and recognize 
his voice. They are in security as long as they follow him ; but 
suffer great peril and loss when they leave him. The voice of the 
Shepherd is heard only in the Church ; without, it is silent. Jesus 
Christ gave to St. Peter the charge of his flock. He, therefore, 
who refuses to hear and obey this shepherd, does not belong to 
the fold of Jesus Christ. 

2d Point. Sheep do not reason ; they go wheresoever the shep- 
herd leads them, over paths that are rough and difficult, as well 
as tliose that are smooth and pleasant. They abandon themselves 
to his guidance, and fear nothing while he is present. It would be 



' SECOND TUESDAY AFTER EASTER, 285 

most dangerous and imprudent to trust their OAvn senses and judg- 
ment. The wise man always distrusts himself, because his under- 
standing and motives are too closely associated with his own heart. 
" He who is master and director of himself," says St. Bernard, 
" is the scholar of a fool, and goes backwards instead of forward." 
They love their way and fall irrevocably, because they are with- 
out guide or director. 

3d Point. Sheep murmur not against their shepherd, or com- 
plain of his treatment or guidance, but submit to be stripped, 
bound, led to death, and slaughtered without resistance. The 
patience of God is necessary to bear with the impatience of man- 
kind, who wish Him to suffer all, while they seek to avoid all 
suffering. Insupportable to themselves, they have no charity for 
the failings or impatience of others. 

Oh, merciful Jesus ! shall I be of the number of those who are 
saved ? Shall I have a place at thy right hand or at thy left, 
when Thou comest to judge the world 1 Shall I be numbered with 
the sheep, or with the goats ? Alas ! how little do I love Thee, 
my good Shepherd ! How seldom do I abandon myself to thy 
guidance ! how continually do I murmur and complain against 
Thee ! Is this being a sheep of thy fold I Are these marks of 
one of the predestined ? 



SECOND TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Sheep do not injure or offend their companions. 
They are the most gentle and meek of all creatures. There is 
nothing aggressive or rough in their temper or ways. They hate 
singularity, love the society of their kind, seek unity, and take 
pleasure in community. Meekness and charity are signs of be- 
longing to the fold of Jesus Christ. 

2d Point. Are you one of the flock of this divine Shepherd? 
Do you love and obey the chief shepherd that He has appointed 
to govern his flock on earth ? Do you follow faithfully the ways 
of God 1 Do you abandon yourself without reserve to his Prov- 
idence? Do you yield an humble and obedient submission to 
your superiors ? Do you renounce your own understanding and 
judgment when they are contrary to faith and obedience? Do 



286 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

you complain in your misfortunes I murmur amidst your pains 1 
love your neighbor as yourself? assist him in his necessities? 
offend him by looks, words, or actions? Eemember that charity 
and compassion for others, to minister to their wants, and cover 
their infirmities, are the true marks of your bemg one of the true 
fold of Christ. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel ; Thou that leadest Joseph 
like a sheep." Psalm Ixxix. 

" My foot hath followed his steps. I have kept his way, and 
have not declined from it." Job^ xxiii. 

*' He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb 
as a lamb before his shearer, and He shall not open his mouth." 
Isalas, liii. 

" By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you 
love one another." SL John^ xiii. 

" But if you bite and devour one another ; take heed that you 
be not consumed one by another." Galaiians, v. 



SECOND WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON HATRED TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOR. 

1st Point. A sheep does not hate its companions; neithei- 
should a disciple of Jesus Christ entertain feelings of aversion or 
contempt for his. Wounds of the heart are deadly. Hatred 
destroys charity. There is no victory more glorious than a 
triumph over the inclinations and prejudices of nature. To love 
a friend is a pagan virtue, but to love our enemy is a Christian 
virtue. 

2d Point. To love an enemy, or an unamiable person, is the 
strongest, greatest, purest, most divine, and meritorious of all 
affections. Strongest, because he who loves his enemy cannot foil 
in love for his friend ; pure, because God alone can inspire us 
with love for that which possesses no attractions or amiability ; 
divine, because nature can only triumph over herself by loving 
those things which do not please her ; meritorious, because 
there is nothing more difficult than to love against our inclina- 
tions. Examine and find out wherein your aversions and inclina- 



SECOND THURSDA.Y AFTER EASTER. 287 

tions lie, and in what manner } on sustain the bonds of charity 
between your neighbor and yourself. 

3d Point. God Joves all that He has created. He has hatred 
only for sin. He has no natural antipathies, because his essence 
is infinite, and his charity without bounds. The very creatures 
who wage war against Him are objects of his love. Great souls 
have no enmities ; they rise above prejudices, and are not moved 
by trifles, as are those who love only according to their inclina- 
tions. All is peace in the soul of him who is at peace with God 
and with his neighbor. . But in the hearts of those who are not, 
there is nought but trouble and sin, because they are at war with 
charity. Are you in peace with all ? or is your heart troubled 
wdth enmities and bitterness against your neighbor ] 



SECOND THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. Self-love makes great distinctions in its application ; 
divine love makes none. Inclination has its bounds ; charity is 
infinite. Love all things except sin. Love all creatures through 
charity, and you will resemble God, and, in the exercise of this 
love, your heart will become great and vast like his. 

2d Point. Oh, how inexpressibly happy I should be if I had 
some certain sign that I love God, and was loved by Him ! Be- 
hold the surest signs of all — if I love my enemies for his sake, if 
I am obliging to those who are disobliging to me, if I do good to 
those who do me evil, if I love those who hate me, and manifest 
affection for those whom my senses detest, I have every assurance 
that I can have, in this life, that I love God and am loved by Him. 
He loves me although I do not please Him, because I love those 
who displease me. He will pardon my sins if I forgive those 
who injure and offend me. 

3d Point. Christian soul, have you ever loved God ? Do you 
wish to be assured that you love Him in spirit and in truth ? 
Love, then, without distinction, for his sake, your friends and 
enemies ; those who please and those who displease you ; those 
who are amiable and those who are not. Do good to them that 
do you evil ; converse with them in whose discourse you take no 
pleasure; do not avoid the company of those whose presence it is 
difficult to endure. By these things you will know that you are 



288 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

one of the fold of Jesus Christ ; that you are his disciple, his 
child, his friend, because you love through charity and not through 
inclination ; that you love God with all your heart, and act by 
grace instead of the impulses of nature. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For if you love those that love you, what reward shall you 
have? do not even the publicans the same'? And if you salute 
your brethren only, what do you more 1 do not also the heathen 
the same ?" Si. Matt, v. 

" Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these, my 
least brethren, you did it to me." St, Matt, xxv. 

" Their heart is divided ; now they shall perish." Osee.^ x. 

" Thou shalt not accept persons nor gifts." Deut, xvi. 



SECOND FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 

PeMtati0n. 

ON THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 

" He goeth lefore them : and tlie sTieep follow him, became they hnow 

his voice.^^ 

1st Point. These are the words of Jesus Christ : shall we not 
believe them ? Ought we not to follow our divine Shepherd, 
whose voice we know ? His doctrine is the rule of our faith ; his 
example the rule of our life ; his words are infallible ; his actions 
impeccable. I am a heretic in thought if I believe not the words 
of Jesus ; 1 am a heretic in heart if I do not imitate the actions 
of Jesus. Are you a Catholic or a heretic ? Examine closely 
your sentiments and way of life. 

2d Point. I shall be perfect if I resemble Jesus, who is the rule 
of my perfection. I shall be dear to God if I am like Jesus, for 
He dearly loves all who imitate his divine Son. I will obey God 
in rendering myself like to Jesus, for He commands us to do so. 
I shall gain the approbation and love of God if I imitate Jesus, 
because nothing that I could do will be more pleasing and agreea- 
ble to his divine Majesty. I shall be saved if I am like Jesus, be- 
cause all the predestined resemble Him. 

3d Point. Oh, glorious honor and privilege, to live like a God ; 
to speak like a God ; to act, suffer, and die like a God ! Do you 
imitate the example of Jesus Christ ? Do you model your life 



SECOND SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. 289 

by his ? When you speak, act, or suffer any thing, say in your 
heart, Is it thus that Jesus would speak ? is it thus He would act? 
is it thus He w^ould suffer ? O, my God, aid me, under all cir- 
cumstances, to follow the example of thy Son. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'•Make it according to the pattern, that was shown thee in the 
mount." Ktodus^ xxv. 

" For w4iom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made 
conformable to the image of his Son." Romans^ viii. 

" And every one that hath this hope in him, sanctifieth himself, 
as he also is holy." 1 Jb/m, iii. 

" God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we 
may live in Him." 1 John^ iv. 

" For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, 
so you do also." St. Jolin^ xiii. 

" Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans^ xiii. 



SECOND SATURDAY AFTER EASTER, 



ON THE VIRTUES OF JESUS CHRIST CONTRASTED WITH OUR VICES. 

1st Point. Jesus was poor on earth, and I covet riches ; Jesus 
was humble, and I am proud ; Jesus w^as meek, and I am passion- 
ate ; Jesus suffered all, and I wish to escape suffering. 

2d Point. Jesus. pardoned his enemies, and T seek to be re- 
venged on mine; Jesus was obedient, and I desire to command; 
Jesus w^as despised, and I wish to be loved ; Jesus was treated 
with contempt, and I wish to be honored ; Jesus lived a hidden 
life for thirty years, and I wish to be known and esteemed by 
men ; Jesus was crowned with ignominy, and I wish to be crowned 
with glory ; Jesus ascended into heaven by a way of many sor- 
rows, and I wish to go thither by a way of joy and pleasure! 

3d Point. Is it just that the servant should be treated better 
than the heir, or the guilty with more favor than the innocent? 
Should not the disciple imitate his Master, the child resemble his 
Father % How^ can you be assured of your salvation, unless you 
imitate the First of the Predestined % How can you say that you 
love Jesus Christ, when you war against his virtues, and follow 
none of his examples % What is there in your countenance like 
13 



290 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

his sweetness, patience and humility 1 Where is the image of 
Jesus that a Christian should wear '? Where is his divine mod- 
esty with which a faithful soul should be clothed ? 

WORDS OF. SCRIPTURE. 

" Is thy heart right, as tut/ heart is w4th thy heart ?" 4 Kings^ x. 

'' The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above 
his lord." St. Matthew^ x. 

'• But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who is made to us, from 
God', wisdom and justice, sanctification and redemption." 1 Cor. i. 

" I am the way, and the truth, and the life. St, John^ xiv. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

The Gospel. St, John, xvi. 16-22. 

" At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : A little while, and 
now you shall not see me : and again a little while, and you shall 
see me : because I go to the Father. Then some of his disciples 
said one to another : What is this that He saith to us : A little 
while, and you shall not see me : and again a little while, and you 
shall see me : and because I go to the Father ? They said, there- 
fore : What is this that he saith 1 A little while 1 we know not 
what he speaketh. And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask 
him ; and he said to them : Of this do you inquire among your- 
selves, because I said : A little while, and you shall not see me : and 
again a little while, and you shall see me. Amen, amen, I say to 
you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice : 
and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned 
into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow because 
her hour is come : but when she hath brought forth the child, she 
remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into 
the world. So also you now, indeed, have sorrow, but I will see 
you again, and your heart shall rejoice : and your joy no man 
shall take from you." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The time being near at hand when Jesus would leave 
the world. He made known his bequests, and divided his treas- 
ures equally among his children, some of whom were good knd 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, 291 

some evil. He left joy to the wicked, and sorrow to the good. By 
this the designs of his wisdom and justice are apparent. The 
wicked do some little good on earth, for which they will not be 
recompensed after death. The good commit some sins in this 
life which merit chastisement. It is, then, just that the wicked 
should have some consolation in this world, as they will not have 
it in heaven ; and that the just should be afflicted on earth, as they 
will be eternally consoled in heaven. 

2d Point. We go not from pleasure to happiness, from rejoic- 
ing to delights, but from happiness to misery, from delight to 
pain. Is it your aim to be happy in heaven '? Why, then, do you 
seek the transitory happiness of the world ? Can we be happy 
•both in this life and in the life to come ? The portion of the repro- 
bate is worldly joy ; the portion of the predestined is sorrow and 
tears. You desire to be of their number, and wish not to partake 
of their portion ! You would escape the condemnation of the 
reprobate, yet desire to rejoice, be without suffering, and have no 
tribulation ! Know that your wish is impossible. 

3d Point. The joy of the wicked is false, vain, fleeting ; un- 
worthy of the mind of man, and incapable of satisfying his soul. 
Its fruits are sorrow and eternal pain. The sorrrow of good men 
is short and apparent ; it diffuses itself over the senses, but enters 
not into the heart, where God, w^ho is the source of all joy, abides. 
The fruit of this sorrow^ is a jo}^ in the depths of the soul, which 
the world can neither give nor take away. Which of these will 
you choose for your portion? All passes away; nothing is per- 
manent on earth ; neither pleasure, nor grief continue here for- 
ever. It is necessary to know and value that which is eternal, 
an^ which leads to eternity. 

If there is any thing permanent here below, it is the joy of the 
good, which is founded on God, who is unchangeable. Their joy 
is pure, true, and holy. It fills the heart and satisfies the full 
capacity of the soul. The joy of sinners, as we have said, is 
brief and false, but their sorrow is without mitigation, and for- 
ever. They war against God : how^ can they know peace ? They 
are possessed by evil spirits, agitated by passions, torn with de- 
sire, filled with disquietude, tortured by remorse of conscience, 
nd the fear of death : Where, then, I ask, is their felicity 1 
TJiere is no rest for the wicked^ saith the Lord. 

Oh, my God ! my God ! I am convinced that my heart is not 
right before Thee ; that it seeks some other good, for I have no 
peace of soul ; my conscience accuses, condemns, and scourges 
me. Neither day nor night can I find rest. The prospect of 



292 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

death, the dread of judgment, and the fear of hell disturb and 
terrify my soul, and make me tremble with dark anticipations. 
Oh, how miserable is the soul that is at enmity with God, and 
dares to resist the All-Powerful ! Shall 1 be with this ^eoi^le^ 
saith the Lord, when they withdraw from me? 



THIRD MONDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. There is nothing truly great on earth ; all is insig- 
nificant, all is unworthy the aims of the soul ; all that the world 
most covets and prizes, endures only for a season, and is gone for- 
ever. Only the good, or those who, in spirit and in truth, are the 
true servants of God, know peace which is great, incomprehen- 
sible, and unalterable amidst all the troubles and difficulties of life. 
There is nothing in heaven, on earth, or in hell that can deprive 
them of it ; if they lose it, they quickly recover it by penance. 
Happy is the soul to whom God is all, and to whom all that is 
not God is nothing. 

2d Point. Jesus* reveals himself for a little while to those 
who enter his service, to detach them from the false pleasures of 
the senses, and attract their love more strongly to himself; then 
He hides himself, and withdraws his consolations, to prove them, 
purify them, humiliate them, to make them understand their pov- 
erty and misery, and place a proper regard on his divine favors ; 
to oblige them to pray with faith and seek Him with submission, 
that they may merit his graces. The soul, in the absence of Jesus, 
is sad and afflicted, but if it continues faithful He will console it. 
Like the disciples, it rejoices on seeing the Lord, and having learned 
wisdom by the vicissitudes it has experienced, disposes itself to 
lead an interior life, and love God purely without attaching itself 
inordinately to his consolations. How do you conduct yourself 
in the absence of Jesus % You are faithless ; you are sensual ; 
you are attached to creatures, and derive your happiness from 
them; you love the gifts more than the giver; the light more 
than the sun ; the stream more than the fountain. 

3d Point. Oh my soul, why are you sad, and why are you dis- 
quieted within me? The world hates you. Does it not hate 
Jesus % You are poor : did He not live in poverty % You com- 
plain that you have no peace ; it is, then, evident that you love 



THIRD TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 293 

something, or some creature more than Jesus. If you have no 
consolation on earth, why do you not seek it in the heart of Jesus 
Christ ? He has retired from you only for a season, but He \vill 
soon return. The shortest time seems long to those who truly 
love Him and enjoy his presence. The constant watchwords of a 
true lover of Jesus are : To act or to suffer, to glorify God or 
to die. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy life- 
time, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, 
and thou art tormented." Luke, xvi. 

" As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Corinthians, vi. 

" Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh 
evil." Romans, ii. 

" The wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest, and the 
waves thereof cast up dirt and mire." Isaias, Ivii. 

"For a small moment have I forsaken Thee, but with great 
mercies will 1 gather Thee." Isaias, liv. 

'' In a moment of indignation have I hid my face a little w^hile 
from thee, but with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on 
thee, said the Lord thy Redeemer." Isaias, liv. 

" So also you now, indeed, have sorrow, but I will see you 
again, and your heart shall rejoice : and your joy shall no man 
take from you." St. John, xvi. 



THIRD TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE CAUSES OF SADNESS. 

1st Point. Why are you sad? It is doubtless because your 
soul is diseased or agitated by some passion, or that you love 
some creature more than God, or are possessed of some inor- 
dinate and cherished desire, or your conscience is not in a good 
state, or that you have committed sin and fear the penalty thereof. 

2d Point. Why are you sad ? It is because you are displeased 
with suffering ; it is because you desire things which are impos- 
sible, or aspire after that which is beyond your reach. It is be- 
cause you do not wish to be subject to the will of God, and op- 
pose yourself to Him by desiring those things which are contrary 
to it. It is because you make w^ar with God that He withdraws 
from you his peace and consolation. 



294 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

3d Point. Why are you sad ? It is because you yield too easy 
an obedience to the tyranny of your senses, and are too much at* 
tached to earthly pleasures. It is that you place too high a value 
on the opinions of the world ; love a luxurious and happy life, 
and are too careful of yourself It is because you are wanting in 
fliith, and count as nothing the eternal joys of heaven. It is that 
you do not love God ; that you are proud, and imagine yourself 
to be the cause of all the good that you have received. It is be- 
cause you believe that you do not merit chastisement, though you 
have a thousand times merited hell, where you would be at this 
moment if God had not in his infinite mercy preserved you there- 
from. 

O my God ! he who desires only Thee is happy ; he who fears 
only Thee is content ; he who is right with God is safe ; he who 
possesses God is rich ; he who is filled with God knows peace, 
which is a foretaste of heaven. 

Love only God. Esteem as lost all that you can lose ; value 
only that which cannot be taken from you ; attach yourself to 
nothing that can perish, or whose deprivation can afflict you. 
Love aright, and you shall never be sad ; abandon yourself to 
God, and your soul shall always be filled with contentment and 
tranquillity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Sadness hath killed many, and there is no profit in it." Ec- 
cles las ileus, xxx. 

" Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye just, and glory all ye right 
of heart." Fsalm xxxi. 

" Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just : praise becometh the upright." 
Psalm xxxii. 

" Rejoice in the Lord always ; again I say, rejoice." Philip^ 
pians, iv. 

" As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Corinthians^ vi. 



THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 



REMEDIES FOR SADNESS. 



1st Point. Why do you afflict yourself? That which seems 
to you a misfortune, or evil, is not truly so. Your miseries are 
the mercies of God ; your ignominies great graces. They detach 
you from the world, unite you to Jesus Christ, and cause you to 



THIRD THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 295 

enter strictly into yourself; they disgust you with life, and inspire 
you with a horror for sin through the pain that it has caused you 
to suffer. They are the marks of your salvation, the pledges of 
your predestination. Did not God love his only Son 1 And who. 
of all the children of men, has ever suffered as He did ? 

2d Point. Why do you afflict yourself? Your calamity is not 
to be feared. If it is small, it is easy to support ; if it is great, 
it will not continue. An evil which is violent has no duration ; 
if it is not driven elsewhere it must necessarily yield. It can no 
more than triumph over life or reason. Hell is the only lasting 
and eternal evil to be feared. Your affliction or evil cannot accom- 
pany or disturb you beyond this life. - What is life, and all its 
evils, compared with the duration and rewards of eternity ? 

3d Point. Why do you afflict yourself? Do you expect to 
live without pain or labor ? How can you be a member of the 
thorn-crowned head of Jesus without suffering? how can you ' 
hope to reign with Him if you are not afflicted like unto Him 1 
Show me a man without his cross, and I will, yes, I will relieve 
you of yours. Is it just that you should have, without price, that 
which has cost the saints so much blood, so much penance, so 
many tears ? In what rank will you be in heaven ? in what order 
will you be placed 1 All the saints are covered with wounds : 
would they suffer in their glorious army the presence of one with- 
out a single sign of conflict ? 

Think of heaven, and your sadness will be dissipated. The 
hope of a great good is fruitful of great joy. All tribulation 
and sorrow are small which result in an eternity of happiness ; 
all griefs and trials are light which deliver us from an eternity of 
pain. The body is almost insensible to grief when the soul as- 
cends into heaven. Know you not that heaven is the inheritance 
of the afflicted, the kingdom of the crucified, and the reward of 

their sufferings ] 

*>"• 

THIRD THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 

• ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Do you desire to be no longer sad? Banish sin 
from your soul. It is that which causes the misery and sorrow 
of the damned ; it is that which makes their hell. If they were 
without sin they would be exempt from all sadness. What joy 
can those expect to possess who have driven God from their 



296 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

hearts ? what ease can he know who has swallowed poison, and is 
unable to eject it 1 Attach yourself to nothing, and nothing will 
afflict you. We suffer in proportion as we love. Our desires are 
our executioners. We cannot separate ourselves without much 
pain from the possession of that which is most dear to our hearts. 
Examine and see what object it is that your affections are so inor 
dinately set on, and you will discover the cause of your torment. 

2d Point. Do you desire never to be sad? Place all your 
hope in God ; expose to Ilim your pains and afflictions ; perse- 
vere in prayer ; ask Him either for consolation or patience ac- 
cording to his pleasure; abandon yourself to his Providence; 
submit to the order thereof; conform yourself to his holy will. 
Be convinced tliat all He does is for your great and eternal good, 
and that which appears to you an affliction is in very truth a grace 
and blessing, and your sadness will be dispersed. 

3d Point. Be guided by wisdom, and discipline your imagina- 
tion. Men are frequently miserable because they imagine them- 
selves to be so. An aflliction is more easily endured when >error 
and opinion do not increase it. It is opinion and its prejudices 
which constitutes the trouble of all men. If you desire content- 
ment, consult reason and not opinion ; regulate yourself by faith, 
and not by your senses. 

4th Point. You fear an evil which only threatens you. This 
is truly afflicting yourself without reason ; the evil is only in pros- 
pect, and may never approach you. You still weep over evils 
that are passed and gone : will your tears deliver you ? Is it ne- 
cessary to continue miserable because you have been so 1 Shame 
on a wise man who is dejected because he is wearv of weeping ! 
It is better to abandon grief than to wait for it to abandon us. 

Regard the past no longer ; look not yet into the future ; the 
present, which is but a moment, is all that we can claim. Why, 
then, are you so indefatigable in prolonging your griefs? A wise 
man accommodates himself to those ills which he can neither help 
nor avoid. Sadness increases the pain of our losses, but never re- 
pairs them. It is not necessary to afflict ourselves on account of 
past sins, if we have truly repented of them. 

Oh, we shall be happy, indeed, if we hold the ^ reins of our 
thoughts. We shall be filled with an exceeding joy, if we. des've 
nothing on earth. We shall offer an acceptable sacrifice to Qr']^ 
if we sacrifice our most cherished desire to his divine wil^. A 
good man is always contented, because he desires nothing beyond 
the state, possessions, or condition in which God has placed him. 



THIRD FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 297 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou 
disquiet me]" Psalm xli. 

" Whom when the Lord had seen, he had compassion on her 
and said to her : Weep not." SL Luke^ vii. 

" Rejoice in the Lord always." Fhilippians, iv. 

" Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord." Psalm civ. 

" Is any of you sad ? Let him pray. Is he cheerful in mindl 
Let him sing." St. James ^ v. 



THIRD FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE GRIEF AND PERSECUTIONS SUFFERED BY GOOD MEN. 

1st Point. Good men persecute you? Examine your con- 
science. The wicked persecute you ? Rejoice. If the good per- 
secute you, there is reason to fear that you are wicked ; if the 
wicked persecute you, there is cause to believe that you are good. 
It is impossible to please both God and man ; to be loved at 
the same time by the good and the bad. If I desire only to 
please men, I must of necessity displease Jesus Christ ; if 1 am 
hated and persecuted by the wicked, I am loved by Jesus Christ. 

2d Point. Persecution is not pleasing or agreeable to us, but it 
is useful and necessary; it urges. us heavenward when we loiter 
and stop on the road ; it detaches us from creatures, the love of 
whom separates us from the love of God ; it sustains us in our 
duty, purges us of our vices, strengthens our virtue, disgusts us 
with this life, resigns us to death, prevents our going astray, and 
makes us retire within ourselves. 

3d Point. Would you have attached yourself to the service of 
God if the world had loved you ? Would you have returned to 
God if the world had not driven you ? It is the Father of mercy 
who governs his creatures ; it is He who withholds worldlings 
from embracing you ; He who directs them to send you back to 
Him, to give you a cold welcome, to turn their back on you, and 
despise you. He arms the world against you, that you may seek 
refuge in Him ; He sows thorns in your way, that you may not 
seek your rest and consolation on earth. He does not desire the 
sin, but it is his will that you should suffer the effects thereof. 
He hates the persecutor, but loves the persecuted. 
13* ' 



298 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Oh my God ! tliy wisdom is admirable, and thy ways full of 
goodness and mercy. If the world had received and flattered me, 
I should not have been thine ; if it had not opposed me, I should 
have been at war with Thee. Oh, I thank it for its hatred! 1 
am obliged to it for having driven me to the shelter of thy in- 
finite love. Oh, thou hast been mercifully severe ! Thou hast 
persecuted, me most sweetly and lovingly. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Fill their faces with shame : and they shall seek thy name, O 
Lord." Psalm Ixxxii. 

" Lord, they have sought after Thee in distress." Isaias, xxvi. 

" Behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns." Osee^ ii. 

" And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake 
them ; and she shall seek them, and shall not find ; and she shall 
say : 1 will go, and return to my first spouse, because it was better 
with me then than now." Ibid, 

" You shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake." St. 
Matth, xxiv. 

"Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake." 
St. Matth. V. 



THIRD SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. 

Sjiritttal Cantttlt 

OF A SOUL RESTORED TO GOD BY PERSECUTION. 

All my glory is in being despised for Thee ; 

All my riches is in possessing only Thee; 

All my pleasure is in enduring much sori'ow for thy sake ; 

My life is revivified by a new and better life. 

Am I still myself? 

No ; I am not what I was. 

My God and I are now one soul, one heart, and one spirit ! 

All my desires are destroyed ; 
My worldly hopes vanished ; 
My will extinguished. 
My being, O God, is nothingness ; 
I live only for Thee ; 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 299 

I labor only for Thee ; 
I desire only Thee ; 
I subsist only in Thee. 

Thou art in me, and I in Thee ; 
Thou art with me, and I with Thee ; 
Thou art for me, and I am for Thee ; 
Thou art all to me, and I am thine. 

To be where Thou desirest me to be, 
To accomplish thy most holy wall, 
To suffer all things for the love of Thee, 
Is the true science of joy and perfection ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"I count all things to be but loss, for the excellent knowledge 
of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all 
things." Philippians^ iii. 

'' With Christ I am nailed to the cross ; and I live, now not I, 
but Christ liveth in me." Galatians^ ii. 

" That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in 
Thee ; that they also may be one in us." St. John^ xvii. 

" For what have I in heaven ? and besides Thee what do I de- 
sire on earth 1" Psalm Ixxii. 

" For you are dead ; and your life is hid with Christ in God." 
Colossians^ iii. 

" For in Him we live, and move, and be." Acts^ xvii. 



-M^ 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
The Gospel. St Jdhn^ xvi. 5-14. 

"At that time Jesus said to his disciples : I go to Him that sent 
me ; and none of you asketh me : Whither goest thou % But be- 
cause I have spoken these things to you, sorrow hath filled your 
hearts. But I tell you the truth : it is expedient to you that I 
go : for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you : but if I 
go, I will send Him to you. And when He is come, he will con- 
vince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. Of sin, 
be(^ause they believed not in me ; and of justice, because I go to 
the Father : and you shall see me no longer : and of judgment, be- 



300 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

cause the prince of this world is already judged. I have yet many 
things to say to you : but you cannot hear them now. But when 
He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth > for 
He shall not speak of himself: but what things soever He shall 
hear, He shall speak : and the things that are to come, He will 
show you. He shall glorify me ; because He shall receive of 
mine, and shall show it vou." 

ox THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. '''But I tell you the truth : it is expedient to you that 
I go : for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I 
go, I will send Him to you,^'^ 1st. It was necessary that our Lord 
should ascend into heaven, to send us the Holy Ghost, for effusion 
is the effect of plenitude. Jesus Christ did not enjoy the fulrless 
of his glory on earth, since his bodily presence was not where it 
most abounded ; hence He did not make a final distribution of 
his gifts, and, greatest of all, of his Holy Spirit, until He entered 
into the plenitude of the majesty and power of his eternal king- 
dom. 2d. Those who give are generally greater than those who 
receive ; and those who dispense liberally and profusely their 
treasures, are necessarily above the recipients thereof Thus the 
Son of God was exalted above all his creatures, in order to bestow 
on them the treasures of his bounty, and the infinite blessing of 
his grace. 3d. It was necessary that mankind should be con- 
vinced that our Lord had, in reality, ascended into heaven. They 
were assured of this, by the descent of the Holy Ghost ; because 
He had told them, that when He went thither. He would send the 
Paraclete to comfort them. 

2d Point. The apostles could not receive the Holy Ghost while 
Jesus Christ was with them, because they loved Him too tenderly, 
and too much through the medium of the senses, to have been re- 
signed to the loss of his presence. Alas ! wbit means it, that 
this Divine Spirit condescends to visit a soul soiled with thoughts 
of impurity, and attached too closely to the love of filthy and cor- 
rupt creatures? If the hearts of the apostles were not pure 
enough to receive the Spirit of Infinite Purity, how can He abide 
in a soul which is a slave to its body, and prostituted by infamous 
passions'? ^''My Spirit,^'' saith God, ''^remains not in man, because 
he is under the dominiori of the flesh,'''' 

3d Point. It was necessary, then, that the Son of God should 



FOURTH MO:SDAY AFTER EASTER. 801 

^\ ithdraw from the company of the apostles, to prepare and render 
them capable of receiving his Holy Spirit, it is also useful to us 
to be, at certain seasons, deprived of his sensible presence, and 
abandoned to dryness and aridity, to exercise our faith, exalt our 
hope, purify our love, preserve us in humility, make us feel our 
misery, weakness, and nothingness, and render us fit to receive the 
Spirit of God, who can remain only in that soul which is not at- 
tached to some pleasure of the senses. 

Ah, why is it that our hearts are troubled when this occurs 1 
AVhy do we despond, and think God is angry with usi When 
Jesus Christ left his disciples, was it a sign of his displeasure? 
How can you receive the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, if your 
heart is occupied with an attachment to creatures ? Your sadness, 
and evident disquiet, prove that you depend too much on sensible 
consolations. 

O, my God! purify my soul to become the abode and sanctu- 
ary of thy Spirit. Deprive me of all that would prevent his 
coming. [ offer Thee my Avill, memory and understanding. All 
that I am, or have, I received from Thee, and unto Thee I return 
them. Bestow on me thy Holy Spirit, it is all that I desire, I 
ask no other riches, no higher honor, or greater joy. 



FOURTH MONDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. All that God does is expedient and necessary for 
us. It is good and advantageous for us to be poor, afflicted, 
persecuted ; to be humiliated, sick, and subject to many infirmi- 
ties. Our hearts are sorrowful, when we are afflicted or suffer- 
ing, but Jesus Christ declares that tribulation is useful and neces- 
sary for our salvation. 

2d Point. It was good that He made himself man ; was born 
in a stable ; lived in the midst of labors ; died on a cross ; arose 
from the dead; ascended into heaven, and sent his Holy Spirit to 
console us. Oh, what a blessing and happiness for us that He 
remained on earth in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist 1 It is 
expedient and necessary that He should often bestow himself on 
us, visit us, console us, nourish us, heal us, and strengthen us in 
temptation. Pray Him to send you his Divine Spirit, now that 



302 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

He has ascended into heaven, and you are deprived of his sensible 
presence. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that descended is the same, also, that ascended above all 
the heavens, that He might fulfill all things." JEphesians^ iv. 

" And Sion said : The Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord 
hath fn-gotten me." Isaias, xlix. 

" Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the 
son of her womb ? And if she should forget, yet will not I for- 
get thee." Ibid. 

" God is a spirit : and they that adore Him, must adore Him 
in spirit and in truth." St, John, iv. 



FOURTH TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE CONDEMNATION OF THE WORLD. 

1st Point. And when He is come. He will convince the world 
of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. The world is worthy of 
reproof Those who are of it commit sins without end ; they 
perform no good works, and are under the dominion of the devil, 
who is the prince thereof, and who is already judged and con- 
demned. 

Sins in the world ! — It subsists only in and by evil. The concu- 
piscences of the flesh, the concupiscences of the eye, and the pride 
of life are what compose it. All its opinions are errors ; its 
maxims, heretical; its customs, impieties; all its laws, injustices; 
all its desires, criminal ; and its actions, scandals. Do you wish 
to be of this world ] 

2d Point. Those who are of the world do no good or meritoil- 
ous works. They do not adore God therein, but speak of Hi.jl 
only to blaspheme Him; they despise his word, profane his 
temple, oppress his poor, instead of assisting them, and have 
respect and consideration only for the rich; they do not mortify 
the flesh, combat with their passions, do penance, or seek any 
higher or better aim than their own sensual pleasures. Religion 
they regard as superstition, the gospel as folly, innocence as 
stupidity, and mercy as something base and hypocritical ; all 
i^irtues are cried down ; all vices are canonized, and all that is 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 303 

evil is glossed over and excused ! And do you, Christian soul, love 
this world ] Do you wish to be of.it ? 

3d Point. The world is judged and condemned because Luci- 
fer, its prince, is judged, and a reprobate. Jesus has cursed the 
world, and cut it off, with its abonninations, from his Church ; He 
declares himself against it, and threatens those who follow it 
with sudden death and eternal pains. And can it be that, after 
this, you still love the world, and wish to be numbered with its 
children ? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Wo to the world because of scandals." St. Matt, xviii. 

" Now is the judgment of the world." St. John, xii. 

"I pray not for the world." St. John, xvii. 

" If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in 
him." 1 John, ii. 

" Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of this world, becom- 
eth an enemy of God." >S'^. James, iv. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

USEFUL CONSIDERATIONS TO DETACH US FROM THE WORLD. 

1st Point. Who created and placed me in the world? For 
what purpose, and to what end, am I here ? What have I to do ? 
Can I hope for rest in the world '? When shall I go hence? What 
shall I wish to have done, when I leave this world ? 

2d Point. Is it necessary for me to lose my soul for the pleas- 
ures and vanities of this world ? If I lose my soul, what will it 
avail me to have gained the world ? And yet, notwithstanding 
all this, my thoughts are all for this world ; I work only for the 
delights and deceptive pleasures of this world, and act, in all 
things, contrary to the designs and commands of God. 

3d Point. O my God, either take me from this world, or de- 
tach me entirely from it ; make the world die in me, or make me 
die to the world ; separate my soul from my body, or detach it 
from the love of the world. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he lose 
his own souU" Si. Mark, viii. 

" You are of this world : I am not of this world." St. John, viii. 



304 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Just Father, the world hath not known Thee." St. John^ xvii. 

"For the Prince of this world conneth, and in me he hath not 
any thing." St. John^ xiv. 

•' The world hath hated them because they are not of the world : 
as I, also, am not of the world." St. John^ xvii. 



FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 



ON HATRED OF SIN. 

1st Point. And ivhen He is come^ He will convince the world 
of sin. The Holy Ghost rebukes all who sin. It is his office to 
reprimand them, because He is sent as our guide and teacher; 
and, being holy by nature. He entertains an infinite horror for sin. 
He is the Spirit of Truth, and cannot connive at our faults ; He is 
the Spirit of Divine Love, fi'om whence proceeds all the reproofs 
and admonitions which God gives us in this life. Why, then, do 
you complain ? Why murmur when, through the inspirations of 
truth and love, you are chastised, reproved, or chidden ? 

2d Point. Have you ever committed a mortal sin ? The Holy 
Ghost has then reproached you for your ignorance, injustice, in- 
gratitude, treachery, pride and malice. Has He not reason to do 
so? What have you done? Offended an Infinite Majesty ; out- 
raged a God, whose perfections are infinite ; sought to destroy an 
infinite blessing ; committed an act of infinite injustice and in- 
gratitude ; perpetrated a deed, the malice of which is infinite ! 
Hence, you deserve to suffer infmite pain. And, notwithstanding 
all this, you still continue to be vain, foolish and worldly ; you 
complain of the light chastisements that God visits you with ; you 
do no penance for the innumerable sins that you have committed; 
you neither enter into yourself, nor search your conscience, but cry 
out, what have I done ? 

8d Point. God hates sin with all the strength of his infinite na- 
ture. He hates it as much as He loves his Son. He, then, hates 
it infinitely ; hates it necessarily ; hates it essentially ; hates it 
only, and hates it eternally. And you, do you love sin? You 
love it more than you do God ; you love it infinitely ; you love 
it without restraint ; you love it exclusively, and wish to love it 
eternally. 

O my God ! show me mercy, for I am convinced of my sin ; I 



FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 305 

now perceive the malice that I was before unconscious of; I know 
the evil that I have done, and the hatred Thou hadst for it ; the 
pain that it merits, and the ruin it brings. Oh, miserable wretch 
that I am, what have I done 1 If 1 had been possessed of the power, 
there would no longer be a God on earth ; for I have, all my life, 
endeavored to defeat and drive Him hence. Why, O my God, 
dost thou still sutfer me to cumber the earth ] Why dost Thou 
not annihilate one who has so maliciously worked and contended 
against Thee ? Only thy infmite goodness and patience could bear 
with a sinner so ungrateful and wicked as myself. 

Oh, I truly desire to change, my life; 1 wish to do penance for 
my sins. I will henceforth hate sin as much as I ought to hate 
it; hate it as much as 1 ought to love my ow^i soul ; as much as 
I ought to love God. I will hate it exclusively ; hate it infinitely ; 
hate it necessarily ; hate it continually, and hate it eternally. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The Highest hateth sinners, and will repay vengeance to the 
ungodly." JEcclesiasticus^ xii. 

''What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood 
crieth to me from the earth." Genesis^ iv. 

" O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." SL Luke^ xviii. 

" But the soul that committeth any thing through pride, whether 
he be born in the land, or a stranger, (because he hath been re- 
bellious against the Lord,) shall, be cut oif from among his peo- 
ple." Numbers, xv. 

'' But to God the wicked and his wickedness are hateful alike." 
Wisdom^ xiv. 

" What fruit therefore had you then in those things of which 

vou are now ashamed] For the end of them is death." Ro- 

»/ 

main; vi. 



FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE MALICE OF SIN. 

1st Point. Sinner^ the Holy Ghost will reproach you for hav- 
ing oifended God your Father, who has given you being, who has 
preserved you ; who has placed you in this world that you may 
render yourself eternally happy in the world to come, and who 
loves you so tenderly, that He has given his only Son, and deliv 



306 DEVOUT MEDITATIONB. 

ered Him up to death for you. You have oifended this all-pow- 
erful God and charitab e Father, without reason or justice; you 
have declared yourself the enemy of Him who loves you infinite- 
ly ; you turn his own good gifts against Him in an uiniatural 
warfare ; you prefer Satan to the Lord of all ; you serve your 
enemy rather than God, who is your best friend ; you make 
choice of the prince of evil for your sovereign, and number your- 
self with his subjects, even while God preserves your life, loads 
you with blessings, visits you with his graces, and bears with 
your derelictions with infinite patience ! 

2d Point. Sinner^ the Holy Ghost will reproach you for having 
caused the death of Jesus your King and your Saviour. It was 
your sins that made Him die ; it was to expiate them that He 
suffered so much grief and so many opprobriums. He would die 
again, if it were necessary for your salvation. As often as you 
sin, you crucify Him anew in your heart ; you renew the igno- 
miny of his passion; you dishonor and afflict Him incomparably 
more than the Jews did, who knew Him not as you know Him, 
and who had not received the same blessings that you have. He 
was satisfied to lose his corporal life on the cross, for your salva- 
tion, but desires not to die spiritually in your heart. He loves 
his spiritual life, and prefers it to that of the body. * " What hast 
iJtou done ? the voice of thy brother'' s blood crieth to me from the 
earth:' 

3d Point. Sinner^ the Holy Ghost will reproach you for hav- 
ing outraged his divine person, and for having grieved Him and 
stifled his inspirations in your heart ; for He is there by grace, as 
in a sanctuary, and would abide there, but that you drive Him 
away by your sins ; you profane this temple w^hich He has conse- 
crated by baptism, and raise on its altar an idol whom you adore. 
He is espoused to your soul by grace, and you violate this union ; 
you separate yourself from Him to prostitute yourself to the 
devil, and the love of perishing and evil creatures. He lives by 
grace in your soul, and the bond is as close as that which unites 
your body and soul together, yet you dissolve this divine union 
by sin, and destroy his life in your heart ; you outrage this Spirit 
of grace ; jovt irritate this Spirit of love ; you put to death this 
Spirit of life! 



FOURTH SATURDAY JFTER EASTER. 307 



FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Itebitatmit. 



ox THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. Sinner^ the Holy Ghost will reproach you for your 
iijjustice to yourself, ibr you do yourself greater evil than all men 
on earth, or all the devils in hell could do you, for you lose God 
whom you possessed, and incur his. disfavor and hatred ; you are 
no longer under his protection, as you were before ; all with 
whom you are associated find it difficult to bear with or serve 
you ; you inflict a mortal wound on your soul ; you deprive it 
of that divine life which it had by grace ; you strip it of all its 
treasures and merits, and reduce it to the last extremity of pov- 
erty ; from being a child of God you become a child of the devil ; 
from being an heir of heaven you become an heir of hell. Oh, 
miserable chancre ! oh. infinite loss ! 

2d Poixt. Sinner^ the holy Ghost will charge and upbraid you 
with the sin that you have committed in the presence of God — a 
sin that He will always have before his eyes, and that He will de- 
test through -all eternity, although He may pardon you ; a sin 
that you will never be sure, in this life, is remitted, whatever 
penance you may do ; a sin that will draw on you infinite evils, 
bodily and spiritual, and which, perhaps, may be the last that you 
will ever commit. 

3d Point. O divine Spirit, I thank Thee for chiding and re- 
proaching me for my sins, and showing me the malice thereof 
Alas, I did not know the extent of the evils of sin ! Oh, my God ! 
what have I done ? How shall I repair the evils I have commit- 
te3 '? I have only one means of escape, and that is penance. Oh, 
I desire to do penance with all my heart, to live at the foot of the 
cross, to water my couch with my tears, shake off the yoke of the 
devil, and wage war with my passions, which have enslaved me ! 
Aid me, O my God, for Thou knowest my weakness; break asun- 
der the chains which fetter- me, that I may sacrifice to Thee a 
victim of praise and gratitude in time and m eternity.^ 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" Crucifying to themselves the Son of God, and making a mock- 
ery of Him." Hebrews^ vi. 

'' A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any 
mercy, under two or three witnesses : how much more do you 



808 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

think he deserveth worse punishment, who hath trodden under- 
foot the Son of God, and hath esteemed the blood of the covenant 
unclean with which he was sanctified, and hath offered an affront 
to the Spirit of grace ?" Hebrews^ x. 

" 1 will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him : Father, 
I hav^e sinned against Heaven and before Thee." St. L^tke^ xv. 

"Shall a man afflict God, for you afflict me?" Malachias, iii. 

" But your iniquities have divided between you and your God ; 
and your sins have hid his face from you, that He should not 
hear." Isaias^ lix. 

" But they that commit sin and hiiquity are enemies to their 
own soul." Tobias^ xii. 

" The mouth that belieth, killeth the soul." Wisdom.^ i. 

" Have mercy on me, O (^od, according to thy great mercy ; 
and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my 
iniquities ; for I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before 
me." Psahn 1. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

The Gospel. St. JoJin, xvi. 23-30. 

" At that time Jesus said to his disciples : Amen, amen I say 
zo you : If you ask the Father any thing in my name. He will give 
It you. Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name. 
Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. These 
things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh when 
I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plain- 
ly of the Father. In that day you shall ask in my name ; and I 
say not to you that I will ask the Father for you ; for the Father 
himself loveth you, because you have loved me, and have believed 
that I C4ime out from God. I came forth from the Father, and 
am come into the world : again I leave the world, and go to the 
Father. His disciples say to Him : Behold, now Thou speakest 
plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now we know that Thou 
knowest all things, and Thou needest not that any man should 
ask Thee. By this we believe that Thou camest forth from God." 



di. 



ONPRAYER. 

1st Point. Why is it necessary for us to pray ? To honor the 
majesty of God, and do homage to his infinite grandeur, to ac 



FIFTH MONDAY AFTER EASTER. 309 

kijo'^vledge his care over all the universe, and chiefly his regard 
for the necessities of mankind, to testify our dependence on Him, 
to move Him to bestow his blessings and graces, to prepare our- 
stdves to receive Him, to expand our hearts by the desires which 
He conceives therein by the inspirations of his Divine Spirit, and 
render us susceptible of the good He designs to give us. If you 
are in a state of spiritual poverty, it is either because you do not 
pray, or do not pray aright. 

2d Point. Prayer unites us with God, who is the source of all 
joy, and of every good ; it gives us a place at the banquet of his 
grac^, it enriches us with the treasures of his goodness, it relieves 
all our necessities, gives us riches for our poverty, and imparts to 
us a power to prevail with God, A body w^hich does not jDreathe 
is dead ; a soul which does not pray is also dead. 

3d Point. Prayer penetrates the heavens, and, like a faithful 
messentrer, brino;s back all that we ask for. God can refuse us 
nothing ; the essence of his nature being goodness, He desires to 
difluse the ever-flowing abundance thereof; He is like a fountain 
which, being too full, seeks to spread its refreshing waters ; He is 
like a sun which, having an excess of light, would by its efliuence 
enlighten us. God seeks above all an unoccupied and disengaged 
heart to fill with his heavenly treasures. It is prayer that obtains 
for the heart freedom from self-love by the avowal of our poverty, 
and expels foolish self-confidence. Jesus has pledged himself to 
give us whatsoever w^e ask ; He will answ^er us by his Holy 
Spirit, which prays in and for us. Can we for a moment doubt 
that you will obtain that w^hich you ask of God through the 
merits of his divine Son ? 

Why do you complain that you obtain nothing from God? 
It is, perhaps, because you ask for those things which would be 
evil for you ; or if good, do not ask them with a right spirit, or 
ask them without humility, or without attention, or without devo- 
tion, or without confidence, or without perseverance."^ 



FIFTH MONDx^Y AFTER EASTER. 

ON DISTRACTIONS AND DRYNESS IN PRAYER. 

1st Point. From whence arise my distractions ? From the 
devil, who seeks to weary and disgust you ; from your vain and 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the next Meditation. 



SIO DEVOUT MEDITATION'S. 

foolish iniagination ; from jonr natural infirmities, which burden 
your spirit and fill it with heaviness; from the little care you 
exercise for your perfection ; from your baseness and unfaithful- 
ness ; from your mind, which is occupied with vanity during the 
day ; and finally, from your heart, which is too much attached 
to creatures, which continual I}' flies* towards its treasures, which 
dwells on thoughts of w^hat it loves, and finds no delight in God, 
because it entertains no love for Him. 

2d Point. Why do I find no consolation in prayer ? It is be- 
cause you have no tribulation, and seek too much the pleasures of 
the senses. The fire of prayer is only kindled by the wood of the 
cross and mortification. It is, perhaps, only because you desire 
it too much, and without reference to the will of God ; that vou 
occupy yourself too much with fleeting joys and perishable things, 
and make all else secondary to them. 

It is to abase your pride, hold you in humility, to make you 
know yourself and feel your infirmities, punish your negligence, 
excite you to renewed fervor in praying for what is necessary for 
you; to exercise your patience and augment your merit. 

3d Point. Why does God refuse me these consolations ? It is 
to detach you from the things of sense, that you may know and 
understand the excellence of a spiritual life ; to establish you in 
the faith, strengthen your hope, purify your love ; to prove your 
fidelity and render you more spiritual, and elevate all your desires 
above the things of this life. 

To make you estimate the value of his graces by the privation 
thereof, desire Him when He withdraws himself from you ; hold 
Hiui fast and with constancy when He returns; recover Him 
after having lost Him. It is to induce you to make known to 
Him your necessities, to moderate your fervor, merit the graces 
that He designs to shed in your soul, and to prepare your heart 
for the reception of some great favor that He has prepared for 
you. It is finally, perhaps, to make you pass from labors to rest, 
from the path of duty to the heights of affection, and from con- 
templation to union. 

Oh my God, I am no longer surprised that I am distracted and 
wearied in prayer. Oh, I am guilty of having frequently aban- 
doned prayer through distaste for devotion, and the difficulty I 
encountered in endeavoring to be recollected in thy presence, and 
because no sensible consolation attended me. Alas ! I believed 
Thou wert angry with me because thy face was hidden for a sea- 
son, but I now recognize it to be the effect of thy love towards 
me. Pardon my unfliithfulness, oh my God. In wha^^^^^r dis- 



FIFTH TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. oil 

positions I may be, I will humiliate myself; I will wait with pa- 
tience, ask with fervor, endure all dryness and disgust with equa- 
nimity of spirit, seek no longer my consolation but thine, and find 
my greatest pleasure in pleasing Thee. My merit shall be in 
serving Thee, my highest honor in remaining in thy presence, my 
felicity and joy in being united with Thee, hearing thee speak, and 
m holdinoc sweet converse with Thee. "^ 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but 
the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings." 
Romans^ viii. 

" Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks." 1 Thes- 
salonians, v. 

" God is a spirit : and they that adore him, must adore him in 
spirit and in truth." aS'^. John^ iv. 

"You asjv and receive not: because you ask amiss." St, 
James ^ iv. 

'• My prayer shall be turned into my bosom." Psalm xxxiv. 

" Ask, and it shall be given you : seek, and you shall find ; 
knock, and it shall be opened to you." SL Matt, vii. 



FIFTH TUESDxAlY AFTER EASTER. 

ON THE VIRTUE OF PRAYER. 

1st Point. The poor in their necessities pray to the rich for 
assistance, but there are persons of both classes, who, forgetful of 
God and their dependence on Him, neglect praying to Him at all. 
There is a vast difference between God and ma,n with respect to 
the poor. In his eyes all are equal, all are poor. He is infinitely 
rich. Men are ignorant, sometimes wilfully, of each others' ne- 
cessities and miseries ; God sees and knows the cares and neces- 
sities of all. Men are hard in their dealings and devoid of com- 
passion ; God is infinitely tender and liberal. Men feel a natural 
repugnance to ask favors, but we should- consider it our greatest 
pleasure and highest privilege to address God in prayer, and im- 
plore his aid. Prayer is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, 
and the perfume of every virtue offered to God. Faith, hope, 
charity, humility, patience, resignation, conformity, devotion, fer- 
vor, and obedience compose the sacred incense of prayer. 



312 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. Prayer is all-powerful with God, because it corres- 
ponds with, and is united to his goodness, which is infinitely rich 
and fruitful, and desires only to dilfuse itself; because it includes, 
hope, which renders man all-powerful by uniting him with an all- 
powerful God ; because it leans without doubting on those prom- 
ises of Jesus Christ, which He confirmed by an oath, to give to 
all who asked, whatsover they would ask in his name. That which 
gives to prayer all-powerful efficacy, is its being an all-powerful 
virtue, which lays hold on the merits of Jesus Christ, which are 
infinite, and offers to God the sacrifice of all Christian virtues, which 
is ineffably pleasing to Him ; and finally, because it proceeds from 
the Holy Ghost, who prays in and for us with unspeakoMe groaning, 

3d Point. Why, then, do we pray so seldom and with so little 
fervor ? why are our devotions cold and without faith ? It is be- 
cause we are either ignorant of our misery or else love it ; or that 
we do not know the power and efficacy of prayer ; or that we do 
not wish to humble ourselves before God ; or that we are impa- 
tient and unwilling to wait God's time. It is because we dis- 
trust his wisdom, his power, or his goodness ; it is because, being 
in a species of spiritual lethargy, we do not feel our miseries, and 
that we fear true devotion more than we love it ; hence we care 
not to ask it of God. It is, finally, because we have neither faith, 
hope, charity, patience, humility, devotion, or perseverance. 

Oh my God, Thou lovest most truly such as are poor in spirit, 
but from those, who, without a,ny grace, are spiritually proud. 
Thou turnest away in anger. Why should I wonder at receiving 
nothing from thy goodness 1 I have not known my own misery 
and wants, nor desired aright to know them. I am too proud to 
humiliate myself before Thee, and am ashamed to pray. When 
I pray, it is in an indifferent, discontented, impatient, and disdain- 
ful manner. My prayers are not the perfumes of Christian vir- 
tue, which is a sweet odor in heaven, but a black vapor which as- 
cends only to gather in clouds, and burst in wrath on my soul. 
They are not that true and pious homage which is so acceptable 
to Thee, and which Thou rewardest with thy richest graces, but 
a scandalous contempt which enkindles thy ire and merits thy 
chastisements ! Oh, Lord, show me mercy ; reject not the prayer 
on which my salvation depends. Henceforth I will pray oftener, 
more humbly, and constantly, believing Thou wilt mercifully 
grant me whatever I ask in the name of thy dear Son, and pro- 
vide for me every spiritual good that I need. 



r 

WEDNESDAY THE EVE OF THE ASCENSION. 318 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Amen, amen, I say to you : If you ask the Father any thing 
m my name. He will give it you." SL John, xvi. 

" Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name : ask, and 
you shall receive ; that your joy may be full." Ibid. 

" For we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but 
the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings." 
Romon.H, viii. 

" O woman, great is thy faith : be it done to thee as thou 
wilt." SL Matt. XV. 

'* And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give 
him a stone ? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent V* St, 
Luke, xi. 

" If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your 
children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the 
good Spirit to them that ask Him ?" Ibid, 



WEDNESDAY THE EVE OF THE ASCENSION. 

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL FOR THIS DAY AND FOR THE SUN- 
DAY PRECEDING. 

1st Point. " Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he 
said: Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may 
glorify Thee,'*'' Jesus prayed his Father to glorify his body. Was 
it not his due ? Had He not merited it ? Could his Father refuse 
Him 1 Why did He ask it ? Because God did not design to grant 
any favor to man, not even to his divine Son, except by means of 
prayer, which is the channel through which all graces flow. " Ask 
my Son,^'' saith He, "aZ/ the nations of the earth, and I will give 
them to thee for thy inheritance,'''' Jesus merited the empire of the 
whole universe, notwithstanding which. He obtained it only after 
asking it. And I who am so indigent, who need all and merit 
nothing, feel no disposition to pray, and do not desire to ask the 
assistance of God or humble myself before Him. 

2d Point. " / came forth from the Father, and am come into the 

world ; again I leave the world, and go to the Father. ''"' Jesus left 

his Father, and came into the world without quitting the bosom 

of his Father ; and He went out of the world to return to his 

14 



314 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Father, without leaving the world. His love for the Father 
raised Him to heaven; his love for mankind keeps Him on earth. 
The one draws Him on high, the other below. He has satisfied 
both, by ascending into heaven and remaining on earth. Oh God, 
thy wisdom is admirable ! Oh Jesus, the ways of thy love are 
wonderful ! 

3d Point. Happy is that person, who, like Jesus, can say at 
the hour of death, 1 came from God my Father by creation ; I 
came into the world to honor, serve, and glorify Him ; I have ac- 
complished what He has given me to do ; kept his command- 
ments ; done his holy will ; manifested his name to men, and glo- 
rified Him on earth ; now I leave this miserable world, with all 
its crosses and persecutions, its poverty, and sorrows, and return 
to my Father, who awaits me in heaven, to recompense me for 
my labors and my toils. 

But unhappy are they, who, having lived wickedly, are con- 
strained to say at the hour of death : I came from God my Fa- 
ther by creation ; I came into this world to honor, love, and serve 
Him, but, alas, 1 have done all things to the contrary during my 
life ; I have sought only my own glory, my own pleasure, and 
my own gratification ; 1 have thought only of amassing wealth ; 
violated his commands, despised his ordinances, and neglected all 
the duties of a man, a Christian, and a religious ; 1 now leave the 
world that I have loved so much, to appear before the dread tri- 
bunal of God to receive the chastisements of my derelictions, my 
unfaithfulness, my neglect and contempt of his inspirations, and 
my crimes. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Now this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." St. John, xvii. 

" I have glorified Thee on earth : I have finished the work which 
Thou gavest me to do." Ibid, 

" How is it that I hear this of Thee 1 Give an account of thy 
stewardship." SL Luke. xvi. 

" And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior 
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." St. 
Matth, XXV. 



ASCENSION DAT. 315 



ASCENSIOiNF DAY. 



ON THE MYSTERY. 

1st Point. Is the ascension of our Lord a joyful mystery for 
us ? Can the sheep rejoice, seeing themselves abandoned by their 
shepherd, the children by their father, soldiers by their captain 1 
If we love Jesus Christ, we ought to rejoice exceedingly, that He 
is going to his Father to receive the recompense of his labors, 
[f we love ourselves we ought to rejoice, inasmuch as He goes 
thither to open the gates of heaven, which have been shut four 
thousand years; to prepare a place for us, to intercede for us, 
and take on himself the office of Advocate with the Father ; to 
fill us with his gifts, and to send us the Holy Ghost, the Com- 
forter, who would not have descended from heaven if Jesus Christ 
had not ascended thither and been glorified. 

2d Point. Go, then, my Well-beloved, quit this ungrateful 
world, where Thou hast been so maltreated. An immortal body 
like thine ought not to remain in this land of death ; an impassible 
body like thine ought not to be a dweller in this region of suffer- 
ing and affliction ; the purest of all bodies should be elevated and 
placed above all creatures. Since Thou hast descended even so 
low as hell, it is just that Thou shouldst be raised to the highest 
heaven. 

3d Point. Go, great Conqueror, ascend to that heaven which 
Thou hast won by thy valor ; take possession of the kingdom 
which is thine by so many titles ; lead w^ith Thee all the glorious 
captives, and the troops victorious over death, to honor thy tri- 
umph; pause not until Thou hast reached the highest heaven. 
Go, seat thyself on the throne of God thy Father ; it is just that 
Thou shouldst find rest after so many labors ; it is just that Thou 
shouldst be crowned with glory, after having been crowned with 
opprobriums and ignominies. 

Go, ark of the Lord, rest on the highest mountains of Armenia, 
after having been so long beaten by the waves and the tempest. 
Rise, O Lord, ascend to the place of thy rest. Thou and the ark 
of thy sanctification. Thou hast broken the gates of hell, and 
gone to open for us the gates of heaven, that the sin of our first 
parents closed against us ; gone to prepare a place for us ; gone 
to present thyself to thy Fat,her, and show Him thy w^ounds ; 
gone to be our Advocate and Mediator; gone to send us thy 
Holy Spirit, to instruct, console, defend, and govern us in thy place. 



310 ^DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

O Jesus, since Thou hast ascended into heaven, I find no longer 
any consolation on earth ; my heart is where my treasure is ; my 
soul desires to be liberated from the body, to accompany tliy tri- 
umph, to see the glory of thy kingdom, and enjoy thy presence. 
When shall I leave this place of exile, where I have languished so 
long ? When shall 1 finish my course, and return to my dear 
country, after which I sigh night and day ? 

O Jesus, hope of sinful souls and consolation of the afflicted, 
Thou hast promised to draw all to Thee when Thou shouldst be 
raised above the earth ; behold, Thou art now at the right hand 
of thy Father, high over all : fulfil thy promise ; take me out of 
this worlds or detach me from creatures ; draw me powerfully to 
Thee, for I am strongly fettered to the earth ; draw me speedily, 
for I am weary of life, I languish with love. Oh, life of hope de- 
ferred ! oh death, too long expected ! oh lite, give me death ! let 
me die at least to myself, that I may live eternally with Thee ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken 
up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God." St, Mark^ 
xvi. 

" Ascending on high, He led captivity captive : He gave gifls 
to men." JSphesians, iv. 

" Let not your hearts be troubled ; I go to prepare a place for 
you. And if I go, and shall prepare a place for you, 1 will come 
again, and w^ill take you to myself, that where I am you also may 
be." St. John^ xiv. 

" And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to 
myself." St. John^ xii. 



FRIDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION 

ON HEAVEN. 

1st Point. Heaven is the mansion of God and the kingdom of 
Jesus Christ. It is the palace of his glory, the temple of his holi- 
ness, and the throne of his grandeur and magnificence. Heaven 
is the land of the living, the centre of our rest, the term of our 
movements, the end of our miseries. Heaven is the ocean of all 
good, without the least intermingling of evil ; it is the treasure- 
house of all riches, into which the fear of poverty never enters ; it 



SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 317 

]S the source of all joy, unshadowed by a thought of grief; it is 
the height of all consolation, without the slightest interval of sad- 
ness. 

2d Point. There we shall see and love, possess and enjoy ; we 
shall have all that we desire ^\ithout any thing to fear ; there the 
good that we enjoy shall be without evil, pleasuie without pain, 
abundance without poverty, health without sickness, life without 
death, peace without discord,- without trouble, without inquietude, 
and without end. 

Oh, how immeasurably will the soul be satisfied, when it shall 
behold not only all that is beautiful, but also the source of all 
beauty ; when it shall love not only all that is good, but also the 
source of all goodness ; when it shall bask in the contemplation 
of the first truth, be united to infinite beauty, possessed of the 
sovereign good, taste eternal joys, and behold forever all that can 
please it, and never aught that can disturb or give it pain ! 

Oh God of holiness ! thy palace is glorious ; thy tabernacles 
are amiable ; my soul languishes with desire to enter, and remain 
therein ! Oh, this world, and the things thereof, fill me with dis- 
gust when I raise my eyes to heaven. 1 am miserable in this 
land of exile ; I shall never know happiness, until I find it in my 
heavenly country above. 



SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 

ON THE DISPOSITIONS WHICH ARE NECESSARY TO OBTAIN HEAVEN. 

1st Point. To be glorified with Jesus, it is necessary to be hu- 
miliated with Jesus. If you wish to ascend, says St. Paul, you 
must first descend. To follow Jesus in his triumphs, you must 
be with Him in his combats. He ascended to heaven from 
Mount Olivet, w^here He had sweat blood and water, and left 
thereon the imprint of his feet to mark the road of his glory. 

2d Point. If you love the pleasures of time you will lose those 
of eternity ; if you have your satisfaction on earth you can never 
have or know the fulness of the joys of heaven. It is only by 
the cross, bv combats and afflictions, that we can arrive at the 
kingdom of Jesus Christ. O sweet Saviour, soon release me from 
this life, that I may behold Thee without veil ; give me death, 
since, without dying, I cannot see Thee. 



318 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I will show thee all good." Exodus^ xxxiii. 

" We shall be filled with the good things of thy house." 
Psalm Ixiv. 

" They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house ; and 
Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure." 
Psalm XXXV. 

" And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and 
death shall be no more ; nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow 
shall be any more." Apocalypse^ xxi. 

" The eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered 
into the heart of man to conceive, what things God hath prepared 
for them that love Him. 1 Corinthians^ ii. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 

The Gospel. St. John, xv. 26, 2T; xvi. 1-4. 

" At that time Jesus said to his disciples : When the Paraclete 
Cometh, whom I shall send you from the Father, the Spirit of 
Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, He shall give testimony 
of me ; and you shall give testimony, because you are with me 
from the beginning. These things have I spoken to y©u, that you 
may not be scandalized. They will put you out of the syna- 
gogues : yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will 
think that he doth a service to God. And these things will they 
do to you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But 
these things I have told you ; that, when the hour shall come, you 
may remember that 1 told you of them." 



ON THE TESTIMONY WE OUGHT TO GIVE CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST, 
WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND THE APOSTLES. 

1st Point. The Holy Ghost gave testimony that Jesus Christ 
was the Son of the living God, the Saviour of mankind, and the 
Judge of the quick and the dead. Since his coming. He has con- 
founded and put to shame the wise ones of the earth, whose pride 
made them unwilling to believe that a crucified man was God. 
He has triumphed over the power of tyrants, who opposed them- 
selves to the spread of the Gospel ; He has enlightened, with his 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCITNSION. 319 

truth, the blmd and ignorant ; He has inflamed, with the fire of 
his love,*wicked and vicious sinners; He has filled with courage, 
and given the strength of men, to weak and timid women and 
children ; He has made them despise death, and smile at the most 
frightful tortures that were inflicted on them for the sake of Jesus. 
Oh, Divine Spirit, descend into niy soul, and fill me with light, 
strength, and love. 

2d Point. The Son of God desired that his disciples should give 
testimony of Him by the power of the Holy Ghost. If He had 
authorized great and powerful men to spread his gospel, they 
would have attributed the conversion of the world to their influ- 
ence ; if He had so authorized the rich, they would have attribu- 
ted it to their wealth ; if the noble, to their authority ; if great 
orators, to their eloquence ! But, instead of this. He gave au- 
thority to twelve poor, illiterate, simple-minded, and rough fish- 
ermen, destitute of all resources, and without human favor or in- 
fluence, in order that the establishment of his empire should be 
attributed only to the wisdom and power of an almighty God. 
It is thus that He still continues to make use of the most feeble 
instruments to accomplish the most wonderful things. Why, 
then, should you fear ? Why distrust yourself, and despond, on ac- 
count of your littleness ? 

3d Point. The apostles having been commissioned to renew 
testimony of God, they acquitted themselves faithfully and cour- 
ageously of their trust. They spread the gospel abroad, notwith- 
standing the opposition of men and devils. They boldly appeared 
before the kings, princes and rulers of the world; they sustained 
the cause of Jesus Christ, and confounded his enemies ; they abol- 
ished ancient and inveterate superstitions, broke idols, and over- 
threw the temples of false gods ; they banished idolatry from the 
world, drove out vice, and planted virtue therein ; finally, they 
have shed their blood in defence of the interests of Jesus, and to 
give testimony of the truth. How glorious for them ! what a 
worthy example for us ! 

We are all called to these apostolic functions. Jesus has chosen 
us to give testimony of his gospel by our discourses, our actions, 
and our good example. Do we do if? Do we not blush at the 
gospel ? Do we not feaj* the railleries of the wicked ? Do we 
not abandon the cause of Jesus Christ, to unite ourselves with 
that of his enemies ? Ah, how often have we not burnt incense 
before the world's idols, instead of contending with and over- 
throwing them? Oh false witness! oh unfaithful disciple! how 
often has not human respect, and the fear of what will they say^ 



320 * DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

caused you to renounce your faith ? Jesus Christ will renounce 
you before his Father, even as you have renounced Him before 
man. If you are afraid of a blow from the tongue, how will you 
bear the iron sword of persecution 1 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come. He will teach 
you all truth." St John^ xvi. 

"It is the Spirit that testifieth that Christ is the truth." 1 
John^ V, 

" For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise 
according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble : but 
the foolish things of the w^orld hath God chosen, that He may 
confound the wise : and the weak things of the world hath God 
chosen, that He may confound the strong : and the base things of 
the w^orld, and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, 
and things that are not, that He might bring to naught the things 
that are : that no flesh should glory in his sight." 1 Corinthians^ i. 

" Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son 
of Man also confess before the angels of God ; but he that shall 
deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God " 
SL Luke^ xii. 



SIXTH MONDAY AFTER EASTER. 



ON THE NECESSITY OF AFFLICTION AND PERSECUTION. 

*' Whosoever Tcilleth you^ will think he doth a service to God,'''' 

1st Point. There is no salvation without the cross, no merit 
without patience, no victory without combat, no virtue without 
contradiction. Stagnant water becomes corrupt, flesh w^ithout 
salt putrifies, and iron that is not used grows rusty. 

2d Point. Your condition is a perilous one if you are without 
the cross ! How is it possible for you to be a martyr if you have 
no tyrant to afllict you ? how can you be a disciple of Jesus if 
you do not suffer persecution? how w^Ul you win heaven if you 
are not persecuted ? Men urge you thither by persecution, God 
by ill health and sickness, the devil by temptations, the world by 
injustices, treacheries, and calumnies. 

3d Point. Jesus was hated by the world, and you wish to be 
loved by it ; Jesus was persecuted, and you desire its caresses : 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 321 

Jesus was tr sated with contempt and ignominy, and you wish to 
be honored and extolled ! 

Oh, Jesus, let all the world conspire against me, so Thou art 
with me. I prefer the hatred of the wicked to their friendship, 
and love their persecutions better than their caresses. I do not 
desire to please those who displease and are offensive to Thee. 

These persecutions that I suffer are they not signs of my pre- 
destination ? Since I am under tyrants who torment and disturb 
me, may I not hope to be numbered with the martyrs'? Now 
that I am despised and maltreated by the wicked I begin a new 
life, and am numbered with the true disciples of Christ. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom 
of God." Acts, xiv. 

'• But if also ye suffer any thing for justice' sake, blessed are 
ye." 1 Peter, iii. 

" If you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that when 
his glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding 
joy." 1 Feter, iv. 

" And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer per 
secution." 2 Timothy, iii. 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER EASTER. 

MOTIVES OF PATIENCE. 

1st Point. You suffer and are afflicted. Christian soul. They 
have done you evil and treated you unjustly. Lift up your eyes 
to heaven, where Jesus your Saviour has ascended ; where He 
awaits your coming, and where He has prepared for you a throne 
and a crown. There you will suffer no more ; there you will be 
at rest forever. Do you expect to possess without price that 
which has cost Jesus, his holy Mother, the apostles, and the saints 
so much ? 

Bear the cross patiently that God has given you in these trials ; 
you will not be able to find another that is more easy and proper 
than this. If you fly from it you will find one that is heavier and 
more difficult to carry, and suffer loss instead of gain. The cross 
is planted everywhere, in the palace as well as in the cloister. It 
14* 



322 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

is the desire of God to save all men ; hence He has provided every 
one with a cross, for without the cross it is impossible to be saved. 

2d Point. The cross bears admirable fruits. It detaches us 
from all inordinate affections, inspires us with disgust for life, re- 
signs us to death, causes us to make satisfaction for our sins, and 
fills us with horror for them, through the pain w^ suffer from the 
effects of sin. It destroys our evil habits, renders us more like 
Jesus, and makes us drink of his chalice and rest on his bosom. 
There is nothing more glorious than to suffer ; there is nothing 
sweeter than suffering, nothing more salutary, nothing more ne- 
cessary. 

3d'. Point. Oh what an honor to be crucified with Jesus, to be 
considered and treated as one of his members, to mount his regal 
throne, bear his sceptre and his crown, consummate the work of re- 
demption, make up what is wanting in his sufferings, imprint his 
image and likeness on our hearts, and resemble his image and 
likeness ; to conthme his sacrifice, bear part in his grief, and aid 
Him in carrying his cross, and be like Him a victim and martyr, 
and like Him be persecuted and immolated, 

I regard these sufferings as sacraments. I regard an afflicted 
person as a crucified Jesus. Is it not Jesus who suffers in him 1 
We see only in appearance the figure of a miserable and afflicted 
being, when in reality it is Jesus who animates, sustains, and gov- 
erns him. We cannot hope to reign with Him unless we suffer 
with Him.* 



-•♦^ 



SIXTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 



OTHER motives OF PATIENCE. 



1st Point. God chastiseth all whom He loves, and spares not 
the rod to his own children. If I am not chastised, then, I am not 
loved ; if I am not a child of God I am not predestined. Never 
is God more angry with a sinner than w^hen He abandons Him to 
the deceptive lull of his conscience. Never ought a Christian to 
feel more consoled than when he finds that God spares him in 
nothing, and keeps him in the furnace of affliction. If he is chas- 
tised in time, it is that he may be spared in eternity. All the 
chastisements of this life are marks of his goodness and justice. 

* Words of Scripture are at the end of the preceding Meditation. 



SIXTH WEDNESDAY AFTER EASTER. 323 

He always visits with his graces those whom He visits with suf- 
ferings. As grace is one of the fruits of the cross, it is necessary 
to phice yourself thereon to gather it. Grace will never be want- 
ing in you as lono^ as you are not wantino; in the cross. 

2d Point. There is no virtue without the cross, or merit with- 
out patience. The cross of charity is natural life and the instincts 
of humanity ; the cross of hope is in not being lifted above the 
earth; the cross of humility is vanity; the cross of strength is 
weakness. In some countries, money that is not struck with the 
die of the king will not pass current. It is the blow that mflicts 
the wound which gives it value. If you are without wounds, your 
virtues shall be without merit. Your gold will not pass in heaven 
unless it is marked with the cross, which is the die of your King. 

3d Point. A patient man is a perfect man. All his virtues are 
heroic and divine. He believes that God loves him when He 
afflicts him, caresses him when He strikes him. What faith ! 
He hopes against hope, remains tranquil under all circumstances, 
is indefatigable in his exertions, firm and undismayed even amidst 
the ruin of every earthly hope. What hope! He loves God, 
who appears harsh and severe towards him, because He is God ; 
he kisses the rod of his chastisements, and the divine hand that 
strikes the blow. Oh, what charity ! He willingly submits to 
be immolated like another Isaac ; believes himself deserving of 
all evil, and unworthy of any good. What humility ! what 
obedience 1 

God is all-wise, says the patient man, and knoweth well what 
He does ; He is good, and can wish me no evil ; He is above all, 
and sees what I endure ; He is powerful, and able to deliver me ; 
He is infinitely rich, and will assist me ; He is just, why, then, 
should I complain'? He is charitable, why should I despair? He 
is patient, should I not imitate Him? He is my King, has He 
not a right to command me 1 He is my Judge, has He not a right 
to punish me? He is my Father, ought I not to love Him'? He is 
my Shepherd, ought He not to govern me ?* 

• Words of Scripture at the end of the next Meditation. 



324 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

SIXTH THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 

OTHER MOTIVES OF PATIENCE. 

1st Point. Is it not a great consolation to rest on the cross 
with Jesus crucified'? Wherever you find the cross you will find 
Jesus crucified thereon. He is united to you by suffering, and 
you to Him by patience. It is in this union that the true happi- 
ness of life consists. He is united to the saints in heaven by joy 
unspeakable, and to men on earth by persecution and grief God 
regained the world in a different manner from that which He cre- 
ated it. He created it by action, and regained it by suffering ; 
He acted as God by all active causes ; He suffered as man by 
every cause of suffering. Is it not a twofold happiness to be 
united by action and suffering with the God-Man ? 

2d Point. You are a Christian only by the cross, and it may be 
said that you are not even that, if you entertain a horror of the 
cross, or live without it. To renounce suffering is to renounce re- 
ligion, since it is the cross that forms the distinction and character. 
How can you have part in the joys of Jesus if you bear no part 
in his sufferings ? Will you accompany Him in his glory and tri- 
umph, if you abandon Him in his griefs and shame ? How will 
you reign with Him unless you suffer with Him 1 It is necessary 
to combat, in order to be crowned ; to suffer, in order to be saved. 
Since men lose their souls by the indulgence and pursuit of pleas- 
ure, it is necessary to endure grief, and be resigned to afflictions, 
that we may be saved. Is not this just ? 

3d Point. What are your designs, Christian soul, and what do 
you intend to do *? Do you expect to gain heaven by any other 
road than the one your Saviour trod ] Would you desire it even 
were it in your power? Why, then, do you complain of your 
cross 1 why, then, do you, when you are attached to the cross, 
imagine yourself unhappy, and under the anger of God ? This 
sentiment would be pardonable in a Jew, but not in a Christian. 
Jesus lived in sorrows and pain, and you, oh senseless one, de- 
sire to live in pleasure and ease! The innocent has been chas- 
tised, and the guilty wishes to be spared ! the Master has been 
crowned with thorns, and the servant desires to be crowned with 
gold and gems ! the Just One is on the cross, and the sinner 
wishes to be enthroned ! What injustice ! what presumption ! 

4th Point. There is no greater cross to the pious soul than to 



SIXTH THURSDAY AFTER EASTER. 325 

live without the cross. The wicked undergo more hibor and pain 
to damn themselv^es, than the good do to obtain heaven. The 
cross of the rebellious and impenitent sinner is that of the bad 
thief, who dies in despair, who bhisphemes on the instrument of 
his torture, and who has neither merit nor consolation in suffer- 
iniT. The cross of an humble and resigned Christian is the cross 
of Jesus, which is full of a divine unction, and which supports him 
who carries it. 

Let us, then, honor our griefs and sufferings as precious relics 
of the cross of Jesus; love our cross as the cross of Jesus. The 
cross is the mystic ladder of Jacob, the throne of a Man-God, the 
sceptre of his empire, the seat of his wisdom, the trophy of our 
salvation, the origin of grace, the root and foundation of all glory. 

To complahi without suffering is the mark of a discontented and 
wounded spirit ; to complain of suffering is the mark of a feeble 
spirit ; to suffer without complaining is the mark of a strong 
spirit ; to complain because you do not suffer is the mark of a 
generous spirit; to rejoice in suffering is the mark of a perfect 
spirit. 

Oh, holy cross ! oh, dear spouse of my Saviour ! I adore thee, 
kiss thee, and embrace thee, with all the powers of my body ; I 
present to thee my body and soul, to be united with thee ! Oh 
disdain not to carry the servant, after having carried his Lord; 
refuse not to bear a guilty man, after having borne the Holy of 
Holies; to take to thy bosom a creature, after having held a God 
thereon. It is to me that you belong, and not to Jesus, who is 
holy and without stain ; thou art the portion of men, the inherit- 
ance of sinners, and the insignia of Christians. Come, then, rest 
in my arms, or, rather, let me rest in thee. I espoused thee at 
the baptismal font, our union is indissoluble ; nothing can separ 
rate me from thee. O, throne of grace and mercy, if thou wilt 
raise me up from the earth, I will draw all things after me ; I will 
save my own soul, and become the means of salvation to others 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'* If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
up his cross, and follow me." Si. Matth. xvi. 

'* For the word of the cross to them, indeed, that perish is fool- 
lishness ; but to them that are saved, that is to us, it is the power 
of God." 1 Corinthians., i. 

'^ Who now rejoice in my suiTerings for you, and fill up those 
things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for 
his body, which is the Church." Colossians, i. 



326 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" But God forbid that I should gloiy, save in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ : by whom the world is crucified to me, and I 
to the world." Galatians^ vi. 

" The sinner hath provoked the Lord : according to the multi- 
tude of his wrath He will not seek him." Psalm x., according to 
the Hebrews, 



SIXTH FRIDAY AFTER EASTER. 



ON SILENCE. TO DISPOSE OURSELVES TO RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST. 

1st Point. The Holy Ghost descended in the form of tongues. 
To obtain this heavenly tongue, it is necessary to guard and si- 
lence all worldly conversation ; to converse with God it is neces- 
sary to avoid the conversation of men. To know how and when 
to speak is a beautiful science ; you will never learn it unless you 
know how and when to be silent. To speak often and speak w^ell 
at the 3ame time are two impracticable things. All men learn to 
talk, but only a few^ learn how to keep silence. 

2d Point. Men of many words are deficient in sense ; wise 
men talk but little, for fear of speaking • evil. They commune 
a long time w^ith themselves, before they hold discourse with 
others. A fool talks incessantly, and it is impossible to restrain- 
his tongue. God has kept silence from all eternity ; He speaks 
to his creatures only when it is necessary to instruct and save 
them. 

3d Point. Let the silence of God be your example; speak only 
when it is necessary or proper. A soul filled with God has but 
little conversation for men. He who talks much with men proves 
that God is not in him. To arrive soon at perfection we must 
commune much with God, and converse but little with men. He 
who is master of his tongue is master of his passions. Solitude 
and silence are the two schools of virtue. It is here that God 
makes himself known to the soul ; it is here that He enlightens 
the spirit and speaks to, the heart.* 

* Words of Scripture at the en i of the foUowmg Meditation. 



SIXTH SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. 327 



SIXTH SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. 

ITebitatiaii;. 

ON THE EXCELLENCE OF SILENCE. 

1st Point. Silence produces prayer, and prayer silence. After 
Moses had spoken with God he could no longer converse with 
men. He who goes out of himself to seek consolation, will have 
but little interior peace or joy. The Holy Ghost loves silence ; 
his voice is a gentle breath which cannot be heard if there is the 
least distraction or noise. The Word descended on earth at mid- 
night, aud amidst a profound silence. Keep silence, for it is thus 
He would enter into vour heart. 

2d Point. Speak but seldom, and never abandon silence except 
for something better. We cannot speak well without grace. The 
tongue is the interpreter of the heart. He Avho loves the world 
talks of the things of the world ; he w^ho loves God speaks only 
of God. Men make themselves known by their words, and God 
will judge them by their words ; who, then, should not be afraid 
to speak, to speak too often, to speak evil ? 

3d Point. My God, fill me with thy lo\^, that I may speak 
continually of Thee. Send me thy Holy Spirit, and cause the 
fiery tongues which rested on thy disciples to descend on me ; 
let me speak of Thee and Thee only ; deprive me of the power of 
speech when I desire to speak of aught but Thee. It is not aston- 
ishing that I never hear Thee respond to me in prayer, for I associ- 
ate with worldlings, and hear only vain and profane conversations. 
He who discourses much with others is not in a fit state to speak 
to God. 

Christian soul, if you wish to receive and preserve the Holy 
Ghost, speak but little, speak low, speak without passion and with 
reason ; never speak against charity only through necessity ; but 
speak simply, sweetly, sincerely, and without affectation, or vani- 
ty, or precipitation. Speak only when obliged by necessity to do 
so, and hold your peace until it is proper for you to speak. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man." 
St, James ^ iii. 

" And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his 
tonjjue, but deceiving his own heart, this man's religicn is vain." 
Ihid i. 



328 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Since Thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impedi- 
ment and slowness of tongue." Exodus^ iv. 

'' A faithful witness delivereth souls." Proverbs^ xiv. 

" In the mouth of a fool is the rod of pride." Ibid, 

'' Let every man be swift to hear but slow to speak." St. 
James ^ i. 



FEAST OF PENTECOST, COMMONLY CALLED WHIT- 
SUNDAY. 
Epistle. Acts^ ii. 1-4. 

" And w^hen the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they 
were altogether in one place ; and suddenly there came a sound 
from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the wiiole 
house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them 
parted tongues, as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of 
them ; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they be- 
gan to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost 
gave them to speak." 

ON THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

1st Point. The Spirit of Jesus is a spirit of life, which ani- 
mates us ; it is a spirit of grace, which sanctifies us ; it is a spirit 
of wisdom, which enlightens us ; it is a spirit of love, which unites 
us with himself 

2d Point. The Holy Ghost is a spirit of peace, w^hich calms 
our passions ; a spirit of purity, which makes us pure ; a spirit 
<3f liberty, which detaches us from all earthly things ; a spirit of 
jo}^ which consoles us ; a spirit of humility, which inspires us 
with a mean opinion of ourselves ; a spirit of obedience, which 
brings us into subjection ; a spirit of charity and mercy, which 
attends every thought and a,ction. We are not members of Jesus 
Christ, if we do not live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 

3d Point. Are you animated by this divine Spirit ? Do you 
abide with this Spirit ? Do you act by the inspirations of this 
Spirit ] There are three spirits contrary to that of Jesus ; the 
spirit of the world, the spirit of the flesh, the spirit of the devil. 
The spirit of the w^orld inspires vanity ; that of the flesh, sensual- 
ity ; that of the devil, anger, hatred and revenge. But the Spirit 
of God inspires one with humility, mortification of the senses, 



TUESDAY IN PENTECOST. 329 

charity towards our neighbor, sweetness, and patience. Examine 
and see which of these spirits govern you. Are you under the 
dominion of the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of the devil ? of the 
Spirit of Jesus, or that of the world and the flesh 1* 



MONDAY IN PENTECOST. 

ON THE EFFECTS OF THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

1st Point. The effects of the Spirit of Jesus upon man are to 
render him like unto God. It transforms the sinner into a just 
man ; makes the weak strong ; turns sadness into joy ; coldness 
into fervor ; anger into sweetness ; it renders the ignorant wise, 
and the timid courageous. These truths are exemplified in the 
history of the apostles and martyrs. 

2d Point. The Spirit of Jesus descends not on the proud, or 
those who are of the world. It reposes not in turbulent hearts. 
He flies with horror from impure souls, and retires from vain and 
ambitious hearts. He wages continual war against the flesh. 

3d Point. The Spirit of Jesus lives in us only by grace ; re- 
mains there by charity : reigns only by love, and rests there by 
peace. He is grieved by venial sins, and stifled by those which 
are mortal. We lose Him through love of the world ; drive Him 
from us by hatred of our neighbor ; and crucify Him by the lux- 
uries and enjoyments of the flesh. 



TUESDAY IN PENTECOST. 

ON THE OPPOSITE QUALITIES OF THE HOLY GHOST AND THE SPIRIT 

OF THE DEVIL. 

1st Point. The Spirit of God is a mild, tranquil, modest, pure, 
charitable, humble, and obedient Spirit. The spirit of the devil 
is an angry, exasperating, impatient, turbulent, immodest, unchaste, 
corrupt, haughty, insolent, hard and merciless spirit. The Holy 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



3«]0 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

G host fills all the house, that is, all the hearts, and all the powers 
oj' the souls, of the true disciples of Jesus. The devil also fills the 
house of those into which he enters ; he agitates, possesses, tor- 
ments and corrupts them, and throws them into extraordinary 
fits of passion, whereby to counteract the effects of the Spirit of 
God. 

2d Point. The Spirit of Jesus is the heart of the Father, and 
of the Son. Thus Ggd has given us his heart, in giving us his 
Spirit. Will you, after this, refuse Him yours 1 Will you dare 
otfer Him a divided heart ? What comparison is there between 
your heart and the heart of God ? Oh, my God, my Saviour, thy 
Spirit is sweet, mine is harsh ; thy Spirit is holy, mine is wicked ; 
thy Spirit is humble, mine is proud ; thy Spirit is gentle, mine is 
turbulent ; thy Spirit is pure, and mine is foul, carnal, and sensual. 

3d Point. Oh, Holy Ghost, Father of the poor, consolation of 
the afiiicted, come, descend on us. Enlighten us by thy beams; 
govern us by thy wisdom ; sanctify us by thy love ; make us 
thine by thy grace; sustain us by thy strength; penetrate us 
with thy unction ; adopt us by thy charity ; console us by thy 
presence; save us by thy infinite mercy, and lift us from earth to 
heaven, to praise and bless Thee through all eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.- 

" It is the Spirit that quickeneth." St, John^ vi. 

" And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts, ii. 

" Now. if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
his." Romans, viii. 

" If bv the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, vou shall 
live." iizd 

" Whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of 
God." Ibid. 

" By charity of the spirit serve one another." Galatians, v. 

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Ibid, 



WEDNESDAY IN PENTECOST. 



ON THE LOVE OF GOD. 



1st Point. The Holy Ghost has been given to us to inspire us 
with the love of God, who is united to us by charity. What is 



WEDNESDAY IN PENTECOST. 331 

this charity ? It is a treasure of merit, which enriches us ; it is a 
treasure of grace, w^hich sanctifies us ; a treasure of holiness, 
which renders us perfect ; a treasure of peace, which renders us 
happy. 

2d Point. It effaces all sins ; calms all passions, and produces 
every virtue ; softens every pang, and makes us like unto God; 
it transforms us, in a manner, into God, makes Him all ours, 
and we, reciprocally, all His. 

What are the properties of true charity? It seeks not itself; 
it is humble, patient, mild, and obliging; it is not sharp or in- 
flated ; is not bitter or disdainful ; is not envious, but believes all, 
hopes all, suffers all, and pardons all. Judge by these effects 
Avhether you have charity. 

3d Point. What are the obligations of charity ? They are the 
greatest, the strongest, and the most indispensable that exist. It 
is necessary to love God with all your soul and mind, and with 
all your heart and strength. With all your mind, by thinking 
only of 'Him ; with all your heart, by desiring only Him ; with 
all your strength, by working only for Him ; with all your soul, 
by living and breathing only for Him. 

Oh Lord, my God ! why dost Thou command me to love 
Thee? Can there be a greater good in all the universe than to 
love Thee ? Canst thou threaten me with a greater evil than to 
deprive me of thy love ? What help have we, if we do not love 
a God infinitely good ; whose love for us is infinite ; a God who 
has loved us from all eternity ; w ho loves us tenderly ; loves us 
gratuitously, and loves us with constancy ; a God who is infinitely 
holy, who is infinitely perfect, who desires to bestow on us an in- 
finite good, that we may be rendered holy like himself? 

4th Point. Notwithstanding all this, oh my God, I do not love 
Thee ! I have not within me the divine spirit of charity. I am 
filled with zeal for the world, and am frozen towards Thee; I 
am proud, impatient, disquieted, angry, envious, a slanderer; I 
am sensual and avaricious; I believe nothing, hope, suffer, and 
forgive nothing. 

Oh, my God, I have gone on displeasing Thee, and preferring 
poor miserable creatures to Thee ! I have deferred loving Thee 
too long, oh Beauty ever ancient, ever new ! Oh, I have too often 
offended Thee, my amiable and forgiving Lord. I will never 
cease, henceforth, to bless, praise, and love Thee, charity of my 
God ; and I implore Thee to take me from this life, rather than 
let me cease to love Thee, 



o 



32 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" Thou slialt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind." St, Mail, xxii. 

" Now the end of the commandment is charity, from a pure 
heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith." 1 Ti7n- 
oihy^ i. 

" Charity covereth a multitude of sins." 1 Peter ^ iv. 

" Pie that loveth not, knoweth not God : for God is charity." 
1 John^ iv. 

" He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them ; he it is 
that loveth me." St, John. xiv. 



THURSDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF PENTECOST. 



c^ 



ON FERVOR AND LUKEWARMNESS. 

1st Point. By the descent of the Holy Ghost on the disciples 
the lukewarm were rendered fervent, and the timid courageous. 
A soul that is filled with the Holy Ghost, finds nothing difficult '• 
in the service of God : it runs, it flies, it rejoices, and undertakes 
even that which appears impossible, believing there is nothing 
above its strength ; it finds its pleasure only in laboring and suf- 
fering for God. The true life of the soul is active ; if the Holy 
Ghost does not animate it, or if He has withdrawn himself from 
it, it is without movement or action, and lives no longer. 

2d Point. A lukewarm soul is, of all things, the most miser- 
able. It has lost all relish for God ; it is deprived of all conso- 
lation ; it has wandered from the ways of his Providence ; sins 
without remorse or fear ; flies from communion with itself, and 
dares not look within, or examine its condition. It is diseased, 
but unconscious of its danger ; wicked, but blind to its vices ; a 
shave, and believes itself free ; it abuses all remedies, rejects every 
inspiration ; is insensible to the impressions of grace ; dishonors 
virtue ; cries down devotion ; scandalizes its neighbor, and is a 
burden to the community. It grieves the Holy Ghost ; afflicts 
the sacred heart of Jesus, and, by its own stubbornness and sin, 
compels Him, in a manner, to spurn it away with violence, after 
which it can return no more, as that which has been vomited can- 
not be again eaten. 

3d Point. Am I not in this deplorable state ? Am I warm 1 



FRIDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF PENTECOST. 333 

am I cold? am I fervent ? am I lukewarm'? Am I all to God, or 
do 1 offer Him a divided heart ? Has He not driven me away 
from his heart ? Is He not ready now to do so '^ Oh, I am a 
dastard in the service of God ! I am negligent in acquitting my- 
self of ray duties ; I am ^\-ilfully distracted in prayer ; I frequently 
omit ail devotion, or practice it with difficulty ; I devote but a 
short time to prayer, and find but little profit therein ; I do no 
penance, and have a horror of mortification ; I seek only to amuse 
and enjoy myself; I am free of speech, and indulge in scoffing and 
raillery ; I do not keep silence ; I consult only my ease, and am 
taken up with the luxuries of this life ; I do not desire to commit 
glaring sins, but do not scruple in committing those which are 
less ; I am remiss in all that pertains to spiritual life, but do not 
believe it ; I have been fervent, and am no longer so. I have, 
then, great reason to fear that I am lukewarm, and that Jesus 
Christ will soon cast me out of his divine heart for ever. 

Oh, divine Saviour, how long have I not afflicted Thee? how 
long have I not lain heavily on thy heart ? Oh I implore Thee 
not to cast me off; withdraw not thy Holy Spirit from me, and 
deprive me not of thy love. Take from me all that my soul 
holds most dear, but leave me thy grace and love. Drive me, if 
Thou wilt, from all consolations, but not, oh not, dear Saviour, 
from thy sacred heart, my shelter and stronghold. Ah, I am not 
still lukewarm, for it seems to me that 1 fear thy hatred more 
than all the pains of hell, and am resolved, from this moment, to 
labor,, without ceasing, for my perfectiop. 

My soul, remember the state into which you have fallen ; re- 
turn speedily to your former fervor, lest they take your candle- 
stick away and put another in its place. Jesus is ready to drive 
you from his heart, and, perhaps, it may be forever. Do penance, 
then, for the past ; work with more fervor for the future, for your 
perfection. Pray without ceasing."* 



FRIDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF PENTECOST. 

ON RELAXATION. 

1st Point. Relaxation in the service of God is unwise and im- 
proper, since it is our business in this world to love and serve 

* Words of Scripture after the Meditation on Saturday folloTf#g. 



834 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Him. The reasons which make, it obligatory on us to serve Him 
one day should be of the same effect all the days of our life. 
What, are you less dependent on God to-day than yesterday ? 
Have you ceased to be his creature '? Are you dispensed from 
honoring, loving, serving, praying to, and rendering Him homage? 
Did Jesus purchase you only for a season ? Do you wish to re- 
cognize Him no longer as your Saviour and Redeemer? Why, 
then, do you allow your love to wane and cool ? W^hy are you 
growing so lax in his service ? 

. 2d Point. The farther you advance in years, the greater are 
your obligations to serve God, because his blessings advance with 
your age, and if you are grateful to Him for the life He has given 
you, how much more so you ought to be that He has preserved 
it to the present moment. Make a review of all the grace* He 
has bestowed on you since your birth ; of the dangers from which 
He has delivered you ; of all the evils from which He has pre- 
served you ; of all the blessings He has loaded you with ; and 
you will declare to me that you have been an insolent and un- 
grateful debtor. Why, then, do you become so lax in the service 
of God ? 

3d Point. The more you advance in years, the nearer you 
approach death and eternity. It is necessary, then, to labor with 
greater fervor. Who ought to examine his accounts with greater 
care than He who will soon be obliged to settle them ? All bodies 
increase their motion, in a more or less measure, as they approach 
their centre ; and ought not thy spirit to redouble its fervor, iiow 
that it is near its end ? Oh, how many vain regrets will torture 
your soul at the hour of death, that you did not do more than you 
have done ! You will wish for time to work, and not obtain it ; 
you will exceedingly desire to make up, in some degree, your de- 
ficiencies, but be unable to accomplish it. Work, then, while you 
may. The tim-e which is yours now may be no longer yours to- 
morrow. Serve God every moment of your life, for you know 
neither the day nor the hour when death cometh. Bless the Lord, 
oh my soul, and weary not in his service, for He is never weary 
of serving you. He has loved you from all eternity, and loved 
you all your life ; there has never been a moment of your exist- 
ence in which He has not done you good. How many moments 
have you devoted to thanking Him for his favors ? Jesus is the 
same to-day, yesterday and to-morrow. God is immutable, and 
changes not. You who are made in the image and likeness of 
God fashion your spirit according to his.* 

*^ Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



SATURDAY IN TllE OCTAVE OF PENTECOST. 335 



SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF PENTECOST. 

ON THE CAUSES OF RELAXATION. 

1st Point. The first cause is the corruptness of nature, which, 
being born of original sin, has a great proneness to sin. It is, like 
the weights of a clock, always descending, and requiring to be 
raised ; or like a tree, the roots of which being in the earth, 
always strike downwards, no matter what efforts are made to 
force them to an upward growth. 

2d Point. The second cause arises from those habits of sin 
which we have contracted, which give an impetus to the evil pro- 
clivities of nature. David, feeling the weight of sin, complained 
to God, saving: ^'My iniquities are gone over my head^ and^ as a 
heavy burden^ are become heavy upon me. I am become miserable^ 
and am bowed down^ even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the 
day longy Are you not oppressed by the same cause 1 My God, 
oh, my God ! deliver me from my iniquities ; like a flood roll 
over me. The devil holds me in bondage. Oh, divine Saviour, 
break these accursed chains which have made me the slave of sin, 
that I may offer to Thee a sacrifice of praise *and love. 

3d Point. The third cause is the devil, who tempts us at all 
times and in all places. He raises what seem to be impassable 
barriers across our way ; he obscures our minds, wearies our 
hearts, causes our passions to revolt, and prostrates the powers 
of our souls by weakness and languor. God permits him to 
tempt us, to prove our fidelity and repair our past derelictions ; 
to increase our merit ; to make us feel our miseries and infir- 
mities, that we may be obliged to have recourse to Him. Oh 
Lord ! Thou hast proved me, and knowest me well ; Thou art the 
witness of my misery, have compassion on me. 

4th Point. The fourth is a secret presumption in our own 
strength, and a false assurance of salvation, by which we are de- 
luded into believing that we shall never fall into great sins again. 
We think that we have done work enough, and put aside the aid 
of penance as if we had no further need or care for it. Is not 
this the cause of your relaxation ? Are you not one of those who 
say, I have labored long enough ; I will now take my rest ? Have 
you not also said that you were in the grace of God ? What as- 
surance have you that you will persevere therein unto death? 
How many, say the Holy Scriptures, have built their nests 



336 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

among the stars, who, by their pride, have fallen into the abyss. 
Do you not know that you are retreating instead of advancing 1 
Are you ignorant that you are growing worse instead of better ? 
Surely, you are already spiritually dead if you think that you are 
not diseased ; you are lost, indeed, if you believe that you are in 
no danger of being lost. 

5th Point. Finally, the cause of our relaxation, is a frivolity 
of mind, and a continual dissipation of the heart ; love for an 
easy and luxurious life, and a great aversion for every thing that 
incommodes nature, which, by degrees leads us to abandon all 
good resolutions, and the exercises of piety, and makes us ignore 
penance and prayer. Are you not in this state ? Is it not true 
that you were once more fervent than you now are ? Why do 
you not mortify yourselves as before 1 Such a life, you say, is 
too sad and wearisome. The Son of God has, then,«deceived us, 
when he declared that his yoke is easy and his burden light. Oh, 
unhappy is that soul who withdraws from God, to seek its joy 
and rest among creatures. Lord, I never found it except in 
Thee, hence I will never abandon Thee, my rest, my hope, my 
eternal joy. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by 
prophecy with the imposition of hands." 1 Timothy^ iv. 

" But I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy 
first charity. Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen : 
and do penance, and do the first works." Apocalypse^ ii. 

" Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice : for they 
shall have their fill." St, Matt, v. 

" No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is 
fit for the kingdom of God." St, Liike^ ix. 

" If a man fasteth for his sins, and doeth the same again, what 
doth his humbling himself profit him ] Who will hear his 
prayer']" JEcclesiasticus^ xxxiv. 

" Now have I begun : this is the change of the right hand of tlie 
Most High." Psalm Ixxvi. 



TWENTY-FIFTH OF MARCH. 337 

TWENTY-FIFTH OF MARCH. 

ANfr[JNCIATIO]S" OF THE BLESSED YIRGIK 

ON THE MYSTERY. 

1st Point. It is a great and excellent virtue to preserve a sim- 
plicity of character and singleness of heart in the midst of great- 
ness ; to be humble amidst the pomps and glory of life. Mary 
was the Mother of God, and she styled herself his servant ; she 
was worthy of the honor of her holy maternity by her immacu- 
late conception and her virginity, but she conceived our Lord by 
her humility. She humiliated her spirit by believing that which 
she did not understand ; humiliated her heart by accepting that 
which she had not desired. "^eAoZo?," said she, " the handmaid of 
the Lord^ be it done unto me, neither according to my desire nor 
fear, but according to thy ivord^ and the will of the Lord." 

2d Point. Mary rejoiced that she had conceived in her womb 
the Son of the Living God, but she was more happy in havmg 
conceived Him in her spirit. Before she conceived her Son by 
nature she had conceived Him by grace ; before she conceived Him 
in her womb she had conceived Him in her heart. This spiritual 
conception of God was more honorable to her than the one which 
made her the Mother of God, for it made her worthy of the high 
and glorious dignity she received. 

3d Point. Mary is the Mother of God. This is a particular 
grace which was bestowed on her, and a peculiar privilege which 
will never be granted to any other. But if you cannot conceive 
the Son of God corporally, how will you do so spiritually ? They 
who do the will of my Father, He saith, the same is my brother, 
my sister, and my mother. Conceive Him by faith, bring Him 
forth by charity, and renew his life in the heart of your neighbor. 
If you are pure, humble, and obedient, like Mary, the Holy 
Ghost will descend on you and give life to Jesus in your soul. 
If you are,- like her, a handmaid of the Lord, you will become, 
spiritually, the Mother of God. 

4th Point. The sacrament of communion is a new incarnation. 
When you go to holy communion, you go to conceive in your 
hearts the Son of God and of Mary, Him whom the angels call 
the Son of the Most High, the great and Holy One by excellence, 
the King who will reign forever in the house of Jacob. The 
Holy Ghost attends you to accomplish the great mystery of the 
15 



88B DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

work of the Most High, and to cover you with the shadow of 
faith, without which it is impossible to conceive Jesus Christ. 

The fathers were astonished that Jesus condescended to enter 
the womb of one of his creatures, although she was the purest of 
virgins and conceived without sin ; but who is astonished when 
He descends into a heart so soiled by impurity and infinite disor- 
ders as yours ? Supply by your humility all that is wanting in 
you of purity. Fear not, you have found flivor with God, inas- 
much as you are reconciled to Him by the sacrament of penance. 
Believe, like our Blessed Lady, that all He has promised will be 
accomplished in you, and your joy will be full. Hope, as she did, 
although the thing hoped for may seem impossible ; obey, as she 
did, and say with profound humility, under all circumstances : 
^^ Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it done unto me according 
to thy word,'''' Not as 1 will or desire, but as Thou wilt, O my 
God. 

Oh, incomparable Virgin ! oh, most blessed and glorious of 
women 1 oh, most pure and holy Mother of God ! it fills me with 
joy to behold thee elevated to so eminent a dignity, and crowned 
with a diadem of which God alone can conceive the price and 
value. Oh, do not disdain to recognize as your child one whom 
Jesus Christ acknowledges as his brother, his sister. In becoming 
the Mother of God thou hast become also the Mother of men, 
since, in giving life to a God, thou hast given it to them. Thy 
breasts are filled with the milk of grace and mercy ; give to the 
righteous the milk of grace, and to poor sinners the milk of mercy ; 
show thyself our Mother indeed, and intercede for us with Him 
who was^born of thee, 

ON THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. 

" Hail^ full of grace /" Thou wert full of grace from the mo- 
ment of thy conception ; and it was of this superabundant pleni- 
tude that the blind received sight, the sick health, the sorrowful 
consolation, the captive freedom, the just grace, the angels joy, the 
Son of God his fiesh, and the Holy Trinity its glory. 

" The Lord is with thee^^'' as a father with his daughter, as a son 
with his mother, as a bride with her spouse. The Father com- 
municates his power, the Son his grace, the Holy Ghost his love. 
Oh, holy Virgin ! I am ever thine by continual devotion : thou art 
ever mine by th}" continued protection. 

" Blessed art thou amongst vjomen ;" who have been, who are, and 



TWENTY-FIFTH OF MARCH. 339 

who will be. Blessed in thy conception, having been born without 
original sin ; l3lessed in thy annunciation, having become a mother 
without ceasing to be a virgin; blessed in thy assumption, in being 
conveyed, after death, body and soul, to heaven, to reign there for- 
ever, with Jesus thy beloved Son. 

" Blessed is the fruit of thy ivo7nb,^^ Jesus Christ, who chose 
thee for his mother, has elevated thee to a throne, whereon thou 
reignest, the joy of the world, the glory of heaven and the queen 
of angt'ls, mother of the just, refuge of sinners, the terror of devils, 
and the hope and consolation of the afflicted. 

Jloly Mary^ Mother of God^ and of men, pray for us, poor 
siRuers, since thou art our Queen, Mother, Advocate, and Medi- 
atrix, after thy divine Son ; pray for us while we toil and suffer 
in this valley of tears, while we combat with our strong foes, and 
are surrounded by innumerable dangers, and exposed to the furi- 
ous assaults of the devil. 

But chiefly at the hour of our death, which will decide the great 
affair of our salvation; the hour in which time shall be no more 
for us ; when we shall be assailed by terrors and temptations, 
and be in extreme need of thy gracious assistance, be with us. 
Thou didst assist at the death of the chief of the predestined, be 
present, then, to aid me, for whom He died. I am thy handmaid 
and thy servant ; suffer me not to fall into the eternal abyss, but 
obtain for me the grace of dying well, that I may see the face of 
God in peace, and praise and bless thee through all eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And Mary said : Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it 
done unto me according to thy word." St Luke, ii. 

" Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, that is in heav- 
en, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." St. Matth. xii. 

" He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Hebreivs, i. 

" The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
Most High shall overshado^^ thee. And therefore also the Holy 
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. St. 
Luke. i. 



840 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TRINITY SUNDAY. 

The Gospel. St, Matt, xxviii. 18-20. 

" At that time Jesus said to his disciples : All power is given 
to me in heaven, and on earth. Going, therefore, teach all nations : 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of thelSon, and of 
the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 
I have commanded you : and behold I am with you all days, even 
to the consummation of the world." 

lleMtati0i);. 

ON THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 

1st Point. God created and placed us in this world to love, 

honor, and serve Him, that, after death, we might reign eternally 
nvitli Him in heaven. What have you done, so fir, to co-operate 
with Him in his merciful designs for your salvation? What 
master have you served? Whom have yon obeyed? • What have 
you effected for the glory of God ? Have you loved Him for his in- 
finite mercies, and his infinite perfections ? Have you labored for 
his interests ? Oh, what injustice, to refuse obedience to Him who 
has given you being! How base is your ingratitude, in return 
for the innumerable blessings of his providence ! How injurious 
to his honor, and contemptuous of his power, to abandon his ser- 
vice for that of the devil ! What impiety, and irreverence to- 
wards the Supreme Being, to adore any other God than Him ! 

2d Point. The wicked deify creatures, and the things of sense, 
by their exclusive and inordinate love for them ; and adore them 
as gods. They worship an accursed trinity on earth, and despise 
the glorious Trinity of heaven. They esteem only the temporal 
greatness and riches of the world ; they seek only its transitory 
possessions, and desire only its sensual pleasures. In these, the 
world, the flesh, and the devil, behold the trinity whom they 
adore ! They outrage and dishonor the power of the Father, the 
wisdom of the Son, and the infinite compassion and goodness of 
the Holy Ghost. Behold the divine and eternal Trinity whom 
they despise. 

Is it not mockery to declare that you believe God to be all- 
wise, and yet murmur against his providence ? to be all-power- 
ful, and yet refuse to hope fully in Him, and not fear to offend 
Him ? to believe Him infinitely holy, and commit in his presence 
the most abominable crimes ? to believe Him infinitely pure, and 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 341 

still abandon one's self to the most infamous passions 1 to believe 
a God infinitely good and perfect, and refnse to love Him ? to be- 
lieve Him all-powerful and just, and refuse to obey Him 1 to be- 
lieve Him to be the Almighty Dispenser of every good and per 
feet gift, and refuse to thank Him 1 Oh, monstrous inconsistency ! 
oh, insulting mockery! oh, dangerous delusion! 

3d Point. The Holy Trinity reigns over us by power, wisdom, 
and goodness. The Father reigns over our souls by his power, 
which created, and which sustains us ; the Son by his wisdom, 
which has ransomed, and which instructs us ; the Holy Ghost by 
his goodness, which has sanctified, and which animates us. The 
Father reigns over the substance of our souls, the Son over our 
understanding, the Holy Ghost over our hearts. We subsist only 
by the strength of God ; we are governed only by the wisdom of 
God I and it should be oar first desire to seek onlv the will and 
glory of God. Behold tlie reign of the Holy Trinity ! 

Oh, my God, my Lord ! holy and adorable Trinity ! I adore 
Thee, and recognize Thee for my God, one in essence, though sub- 
sisting in three persons. I believe that which I cannot understand, 
and am full of joy at being able to make unto Thee a sacrifice of 
my spirit, through a .blind obedience to thy word. I perceive the 
glorious excellence of my religion by the magnitude of the truths 
it teaches me. Since Thou art my Sovereign, it is just and proper 
that all within me should render Thee homage ; that my spirit, 
strength and will should adore Thee without ceasing ; my spirit 
by my faith, my stre'igth by my hope, my will by my charity ; 
my spirit by believing that w^hich it cannot comprehend, my 
strength by hoping for what I cannot see, my will by loving those 
things which are opposed to nature ; my spirit by believing in 
darkness, my strength by hoping in infirmity, my will by lovmg 
in adversity. 

4th Point. Oh, adorable Trinity,^ Thou wouldst no longer be 
God, if Thou wert not exalted high above human reason ; and my 
soul could not adore Thee, if my mind and heart could compre- 
hend Thee, because then Thou wouldst not be infinite. But Thou 
art my God, because Thou art infinitely great and incomprehen- 
sible to all creatures. 

All glory, then, be to the Father, who has created me ; glory 
DC to the Son, who has redeemed me; glory be to the Holy 
Ghost, who has sanctified me ! Glory be to the Father, who sus- 
tains me by his power ; glory be to the Son, who governs me by 
his wisdom ; glory be to the Holy Ghost, who animates and sanc- 
tifies me by his love ! Glory be to the Father, who sustains my 



S42 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

being ; glory be to the Son, who enlightens my understanding ; 
glory be to the Holy Ghost, who consecrates my will ! Let the 
Holy Trinity be praised, adored and glorified, by angels and men, 
in time and throughout eternity. Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Go, therefore, teach all nations : Baptizing them in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.'' St. 
Matt, xxviii. 

" For there are three that bear testimony in heaven : the Fa- 
ther, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these three are one." 
1 John^ V. 

'•And they (the seraphims) cried one to another, and said : 
Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts ; all the earth is full of 
his glory." Isaias, vi. 

" For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, 
the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life." 1 JoJm^ ii. 



MONDAY AFTER TRINITY SUNDAY. 



ON THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS. 

1st Point. What is God ? No human being can give us a per- 
fect idea of God. None can comprehend Him. God is all in all ; 
God is that by whom all things are ; God is that on whom all de- 
pend ; the One from whom all proceed, and who is self-existent. 
He is the first cause, the last end, the centre and foundation of all 
beings. 

2d Point. What is God? An all-powerful will, a ravishing 
and i),cffable perfection, an infallible source of reas'on, a power 
withoi/t infirmity, justice without passion, truth ^vlf.hout error, im- 
mensity without bounds, an eternity without begliiriing or end. 

tip Point. What is God? He is the author t»f nil that is visi- 
ble aTxd invisible ; the beautiful, by whom all things are rendered 
beautiful ; the good, from whom all derive good. He is in the 
sun to give us light, in the fire to give us warmth, in the water to 
refresh us, in our daily bread to nourish us, in the flowers to de- 
light us, and in the earth to support and sustain us.* 

* Words of Scriptm-e at the end of Meditation for Wednesday after Trinity Sunday. 



WEDNESDAY AFTER TRINITY SUNDAY. 343 

TUESDAY AFTER TRINITY SUNDAY. 

ON THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS. 

1st Point. What is God? I can neither see, know, or com- 
prehend through my senses, because He is without color, sound, 
odor, taste, and substance. He is a light above all lights, that 
the human eye cannot gaze on ; a voice above all voices, that the 
mortal ear cannot hear; odor above all odors, that the smell can- 
not perceive ; sweetness above all sweetness, that the tongue can- 
not taste ; substance above all substances, that the hand cannot 
touch. 

2d Point. What is God T An incomprehensible Being, who 
compreheuds all : an invisible Being, who sees all ; an indivisible 
Being, who divides all ; an inaccessible Being, who is in all ; an 
eternal Being, who produces all ; a motionless Being, who moves 
all ; an invariable Being, who changes all ; a Being who inhabits 
himself, is happy in himself, sufficient for himself, and finds all 
in himself; who is great without quantity, good without quality, 
beautiful without figure, infinite without number, eternal without 
length, and all-perfect without parts. 

3d Point. What is God? A Being v/ho surrounds all, and is 
not divided ; in all, and not confined ; with all, and not separated ; 
above all, and not lifted up ; below all, and not lowered. It is in 
Him I live, move, and have my being. In Him I labor, in Him 
I rest. I am ever in Him and He in me ; notwithstanding which 
I do not think of Him ; I do not love Him, but think only of my- 
self, and work onlv for myself What injustice ! What ingrati- 
tude I^ 

♦>* 

WEDNESDAY AFTER TRINITY SUNDAY. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. What is God? A Being, whose nature is all good 
ness, whose grandeur is all majesty, whose life is all fruitfulness, 
whose understand hig is all wisdom, whose will is all sanctity, 
whose thoughts are all light, inclinations all love, actions all 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



344 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

power, eternity all duration, and whose movements are nothing 
but rest. 

2d Point. What is God ? A Being ever present but never 
seen ; always moving and always resting, always receiving with- 
out amassing any thing, always giving without decreasing his 
store, always loving without inquietude, always seeking without 
going astray from the centre of his peace and holiness ; finally, a 
Being incomprehensible in his nature, admirable in his effects, 
adorable in the angels, amiable in men, most desirable in the joy 
of the predestined, and most terrible and formidable in the ex- 
ample of the damned. 

3d Point. Oh, great God ! oh, almighty Spirit ! Thou art ter- 
rible to our understanding, but most sweet and consoling to our 
will. Oh, Holy of Holies ! all my bones, though insensible in 
their nature, are sensible of thy presence, and cry out, day and 
night : " Lord^ who is like to Thee .^" 

Oh my soul! what seek est thou on earth? Goodness? It is 
in God, without malice. Beauty ? It is in God, without stain. 
Perfection ? It is in God, without defect. Wisdom ? It is in 
God, without error. Strength? It is in God, without weakness. 
Pleasure? It is in God, without grief. Abimdance? It is in 
God, without poverty. Glory ? It is in God, without confusion. 
Felicity ? It is in God, without misery. Peace? It is in God, 
without conflict or trouble. And, notwithstanding all this, you 
neither love nor seek Him ; you fly from this never-failing source 
of blessings and infinite satisfaction, to drink from broken cisterns, 
which cannot refresh or satisfy you. 

O Lord my God, henceforth I will love Thee with all my heart, 
since Thou art my joy and sovereign happiness, the principal of 
my being and the centre of my repose. I will ask for nothing, 
since I have found in Thee all that my soul desires. Oh, sweet 
consolation ! to feel that the measure of my love for Thee on 
earth is full ; to know that I possess Thee in my heart, all infinite 
as Thou art ; and that Thou art willing to continue therein. 

Oh my soul ! why have you not given yourself entirely to Plim 
at all times and in every way ? Why cannot you be satisfied 
with a God who is so rich, so great, so wise, so powerful, so good, 
so beautiful, and so perfect? What can you find in creatures at 
all comparable to Him? Have you ever found any thing sepa- 
rated from Him to content you? When will you return from 
your wanderings ? when will you seek the only true good ? when 
will you content yourself with Him who is sufficient for himself, 
and holds within himself infinite £[ifts and blessino;s? Surelv a 



FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 345 

heart which cannot be satisfied with the possession of God must 
resemble Lucifer in its pride and avarice ; a heart that God can- 
not please must indeed be wicked and blind. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I AM WHO AM." Exodus^ iii. 

"I am Alpha and Ojnega, the beginning and the end, saith the 
Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Al- 
mighty." Apocalypse, i. 

" Who is like to Thee among the strong, O Lord ? Who is 
like to Thee, glorious in holiness, terrible and praiseworthy, doing 
wonders." Exodus^ xv. 

" For of Him, and by Him, and in Him, are all things : to 
Him be glory forever. Amen." Romans^ xi. 



THURSDAY. 
FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 



ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

1st Point. Thy wisdom, O my God, is admirable; thy judg- 
ments are profound and thy designs impenetrable. Why shouldst 
Thou, whose sacred body is immortal and incorruptible, wish 
to remain on earth, which is a place of death and corruption % 
Should not the most exalted of all bodies abide in the highest 
heavens ? 

Jesus Christ remained on earth to glorify his Father, and im- 
part the choicest treasures of his grace to his Church. Tor if 
there is a God there must be a religion, and consequently a sacri- 
fice and victim.. As the Son of God established a religion which 
He declared should endure until the consummation of time, it was 
necessary to have a victim which would also endure until the end 
of all time. He then ;issii^::cid the quality of victim. He only 
can be sacrificed, b^^oa'ise all other saciifices are abrogated ; and 
He remains on our altars a perpetual oblation, a pure, holy, and 
immaculate victim, of which all other offerings were only the 
types. 

Men should render continual homage to God, to acknowledge 
his supreme dominion; declare their dependence on Him ; thank 
Him for all the blessings, graces, and goods they have received 
15* 



346 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

at his hands ; make known to Him all their necessities, corporal 
and spiritual, and make satisfaction to his divine Majesty for the 
sins which are incessantly committed against Him and the out- 
rages which are continually offered to Him. Jesijs has offered 
himself, having suffered and died on the cross, a propitiation for 
the sins of the world, and to render homage to his eternal Father ; 
but it was necessary to perpetuate the. memory of the same and 
institute a sacrifice in his Church, by w^hich a perfect and ei^cept- 
able homage would be continually rendered to God by religion, 
who acknowledges no religion that is without sacrifice. It was 
for this that He remain «• 'ti earth ; for this that He condescends 
to be our priest, our victim, our food, our guest, our hope, our 
consolation. 

2d Point. Friendship requires three things : to live with your 
friend, transform yourself in him, and die for him. This is what 
Jesus does in this divine sacrament. He lives and eats wdth us, 
and we eat with Him. He is, in a manner, transformed into us, 
and w^e into Him. He dies every day, sacramentally, on the 
altar for us, and renews thereon the sacrifice that he made on the 
cross of his body and blood. Oh, unparalleled love ! Oh, ineffiible 
charity ! Oh, what glory for God ! Oh, what consolation for 
man ! 

3d Point. Jesus desires to remain with us, why is it that we 
do not wish to remain with Him ? If He can live in us, can we 
not live in Him ] If He can eat with us, why do we not wish to 
eat with Him '? If He will condescend to transforiPx himself into 
us, why do we not ardently desire to transform ourselves into 
Him 1 If He desires aAd does die every day for us, why will we 
not daily die for Him ? 

Are we not creatures of God ? Ought we not to render Him 
daily homage, thank Him for all his benefits, appease his justice, offer 
Him every day that Victim which is the perfect object of his eternal 
love, and by which He is most honored, to obtain all those graces 
which are necessary to our salvation ? Why do we so seldom 
assist at this divine sacrifice ? assist with so much irreverence and 
coldness, and with so little devotion and recollection ? Oh, we do 
not believe truly in God ; we know Him not ; we are ignorant of 
our entire dependence on Him, and the extreme need we always 
have of his succor and support, and the indispensable obligations 
that we are under of making satisfaction to his justice. Alas ! 
Jesus Christ dies daily for us, and we strive not to live for Him.* 

* Words of Scripture after the Meditation for Saturdlay, 



FRIDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 347 



FRIDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

lIc^itatifliT. 

JESUS INSTITUTED THIS SACRAMENT FOR THE GOOD AND CONSO- 
LATION OF OUR SOULS. 

1st Point. Jesus Christ remains on earth, not only for the 
glory of his Father and to satisfy his own love for us, but also for 
our consolation and profit. Oh, ^yhat a consolation it is to behold 
Him with our eyes, touch Him with our hands, lodge and enter- 
tain Him in our hearts, converse with Him and tell Him freely 
of our miseries, spiritual and temporal ! All the world could not 
speak to Him, see Him, or converse with Him, while He sojourned 
on earth, but all can now enjoy this great and inestimable privi- 
lege. Oh ! your love for Him must be cold indeed, since you so 
seldom visit Him, or sigh to behold Him, converse with Him, eat 
with Him, or receive Him. 

2d Point. Jesus Christ remains on earth to save and nourish 
us. He has care of the soul as well as of the body : as corporal 
food communicates to the body which receives it, its substance 
and qualities, so this spiritual food conveys into our souls all the 
virtues of Jesus Christ with his sacred body. . As He has made 
himself actual food for those who receive Him, so He renders 
himself spiritual food for those who, with humble and faithful 
hearts, partake often of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Oh, what a union ! Oh, what a feast ! Oh, what es- 
pousals ! Happy are those ^vho are invited to the marriage-feast 
of the Lamb. •• 

3d Point. He remains on earth not only to nourish us, and 
unite himself to us in the strongest, most intimate, and insepa- 
rable manner, but also to unite all Christians by an unbroken chain 
of love, that, as they eat at the same table, in the bonds of the 
same faith, so they ought to be as one body and one soul. To be 
at peace with one's neighbor is a necessary and essential qualifica- 
tion to prepare us for communion, and is a fruit thereof With- 
out it, it is not lawful to receive Jesus Christ, for we cannot be 
united to Him by grace unless we are united in the bonds of 
Christian peace with our neighbor. In what state are you ? Ex- 
amine yourself well before you approach the banquet of the Lord, 
lest there may be lurking in your heart, hatred, ill will, coldness, 
or aversion."^ 

• Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation, 



348 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

SATURDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

JESUS INSTITUTED THIS SACRAMENT FOR THE HEALING AND SANC- 
TIFICATION OF OUR BODIES. 

1st Point. Jesus Christ remains on earth not only to nourish 
and sanctify our souls, but also to heal our bodies, which have 
been soiled, dishonored, and wounded by the sin of Adam, chiefly 
by his concupiscence, w^hich has inflicted on them mortal wounds. 
Jesus has, then^ instituted this sacrament of his body and blood, 
to consecrate our bodies by the reception and touch of his ; to pu- 
rify and sanctify them by the virginal qualities of his ; to appease 
the fury of our concupiscence, and the violence of our passions, by 
the union which we contract with his adorable flesh by which we 
are nourished and strengthened. ''''Except you eat the fie sh of the 
Son of Man, and drink his bloody you shall not have life in you ;'^'^ 
that is to say, life of grace, life of glory, and an eternal life of 
body and soul. Do you believe these truths 1 

2d Point. Sin has not only wounded our bodies, but killed 
them, by rendering mortal that which w^as immortal. By sin 
death came into the w^orld ; but Jesus, in this sacrament of divine 
love, restores life eternal to the body and soul ; to the body be- 
cause it contracts, by its union with the body of Jesus Christ, the 
right of a resurrection w^ith Him ; to the soul because it is a 
pledge of salvation, and a sign of predestination. The Son of 
God assures us of this in these words: ^'^ He that eateth my fiesh^ 
and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life : and I 'mil raise him 
up in the last dayP 

3d Point. Oh, admirable and precious banquet, exclaims his 
Holy Spouse, the Church, at w^hich we receive Jesus Christ, at 
W'hich we renew the memory of his passion, at which our souls 
are filled with grace, at w^hich w^e receive the pledge of that glory 
w^hich He has promised us. Oh, heavenly feast, at w^hich we eat 
the bread of angels, w^hich nourishes our souls, sanctifies our 
bodies, heals the wounds of both, and procures for both body and 
soul eternal life. Oh, feast of the Lamb, w^hereat Jesus espouses 
our souls, and unites us to himself in so admirable a manner, re- 
mains w^ith us and we w^ith Him, and is transformed in us and 
we in Him. 

Oh, Christian, what do you desire % glory ? Is there any thing 
more glorious or sublime than to become one with Jesus, and to 
be transformed into himself? 



SUNDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 349 

Christian, what do you desire — life ? Is there a happier or lon- 
ger life than that eternal life which He promises to all who wor- 
thily partake of this bread ? 

Christian, what do you desire — riches ? Do you not know that 
it is in Jesus Christ that all the treasures of nature, grace, and 
glory are found ] and that all the merits of his life and death are 
applied to us by the use of this sacrament ? 

What d(i you desire — pleasure? Know you not that in this 
sacrament you taste it at its very source 1 Why, then, is it nec- 
essary to urge xmd compel you to assist at this marriage feast of 
the Lamb 1 Why do you assist thereat with so little humility, de- 
votion, and recollection of the divine and real presence 1 Oh, as- 
tonishing thing ! oh, spectacle of horror ! to behold those who pro- 
fess Christ partake of the flesh of the Lamb and live like wolves, 
receive a God and live like devils ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For from the rising of the sun even to the going down thereof, 
my name is great among the Gentiles : and in every place there is 
sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation." Ma- 
lachias, i. 

" He hath made a remembrance of his wonderful works, being 
a merciful and gracious Lord: He hath given food to them that 
fear Him." Psalm ex. 

" For my flesh is meat indeed : and my blood is drink indeed. 
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me 
and I in him." St. John. vi. 

" I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If 
any man eat of this bread he shall live forever : and the bread 
which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Ibid, 



SUNDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTL 

The Gospel. St. Luke, xiv. 16-24. 

" At that time Jesus spoke this parable to the Pharisees : A 
certain man made a great supper, and invited many, and he sent 
his servant, at the hour of supper, to say to them that w^ere in- 
vited, that they should come, for now all things are ready. And 
they bei]^an all at once to make excuses. The first said to him : 
I have bought a farm, and must needs go out and see it : I pray 
thee have me excused. And another said: I have bought five 



350 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

yoke of oxen, and I go to try them ; I pray thee hold me excused. 
And another said : I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot 
come. And the servant, returning, told these things to his lord. 
Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant : 
Go out quickly unto the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in 
hither the poor and the feeble, and the blind and the lame. And 
the servant said : Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and 
yet there is room. And the Lord said to the servant : Go out 
into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that 
my house may be filled. But I say unto you that none of those 
men that were invited, shall taste of my supper." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The Eucharistic Feast is great and divine in its 
origin ; it was instituted by a God, who prepared it at infinite 
cost ; it is God who entertains us therein like a God, that is to 
say, with infinite magnificence. 

He is all-wise, and knows that we will give interest on what 
He has bestowed on us. He is the source of all riches and 
splendor, but He has nothing equal in value to this. He is all- 
powerful, but He can give us nothing more. What shall I return 
to God for all the good He has done me; for the feast that He 
has prepared for me, the nourishment He has given me, and for 
his goodness in having invited me to his banquet ? 

2d Point. This feast is great on account of the food that is there, 
for it is the body and blood, soul, divinity, and humanity of our 
Lord Jesns Christ, with all his merits, all his graces, and his 
works, which are served, so to speak, at this table. Our flesh is 
nourished by his flesh, our souls are strengthened by his divinity, 
says Tertullian. All the virginal qualities of the flesh of Jesus 
pass into ?.nd mingle with our flesh, to purify it ; all the virtues 
of the soul of Jesus pass into our souls to sanctify them. 

3d Point. This feast is great, on account of the eflTects it pro- 
duces. It cures all sickness, strengthens us against every temp- 
tation, renders us victorious over our enemies, enriches us with 
all the virtues of Jesus, fills us with all his graces, and unites us 
intimately with his divinity and humanity ; loads us with conso- 
lation, and gives life^.eternal to our souls and bodies. The Jews 
eat manna and are dead, but he who eats this bread shall have 
everlasting life. Who is there that loves not life? Why, then, 
do you not hunger for and love this delicious bread of heaven ] 



SUNDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS OHRISTI. 351 

4th Point. This feast is great on account of its extent, for this 
celestial banquet is spread everywhere on earth ; there is no 
part of the universe where these sacred mysteries are not cele- 
brated, where they do not sacrifice this divine Lamb, where the 
faithful cannot partake of the bread of angels. If the poor regard 
the rich, who give them their daily bread, with gratitude and love, 
how much more ought we to love God, who gives us heavenly 
bread 1 

5th Point. Tiiis feast is great on account of its duration; it 
will continue as long as there shall be a man on earth. The feast 
of Ahassurus lasted only one hundred and six days, but this shall 
continue until the consummation of time. Jesus will give us him- 
self, in this heavenly food, until He comes to judge us. Happy 
are those who worthily receive Him at the hour of death ; miser- 
able are they who desire not to assist at this feast during life ! 
Alas, there is much reason to fear that they will be deprived of it 
at their death. 

6th Point. This feast is great on account of the multitudes 
who attend it ; all the world are invited hither, the great and the 
small, the rich and poor, men and women, the well and the infirm, 
the just and the sinner. The rich excused themselves, in the 
Gospel, it is only the poor who eat at the table of the Lord. 

Oh, my soul, what do you fear ? You are poor, sick, miserable 
and blind, and this should give you courage to approach ; it is 
such as you who are invited, and who enter in to the feast. Go, 
represent your poverty to Jesus, and He will enrich you ; rep- 
resent to Him your maladies, and He will heal you ; show Him 
your weakness and infirmities, and He will strengthen you ; make 
known to Him your miseries, your afflictions, your temptations, 
and he will assist, console, and deliver you. 

O, sweet Jesus, pardon me if I presume to approach the altar 
and place myself at thy table. I am blind, lame, and maimed, 
and come to Thee, a sick and helpless beggar, for relief. 

Are these thy invited guests'? Thou hast assured me that they 
are, and dost threaten me with vengeance if I retire on the pre- 
text of un worthiness. I will, then, enter thy palace without fear^ 
or disquiet, approach thy table with confidence, receive Thee with 
love, lodge Thee in my heart with joy, and serve Thee henceforth 
with fervor and zeal. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

•' Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven." 
SL Luke, xiv. 



352 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS 

" But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the 
lame, and the blind. And thou shalt be blessed, because they 
have not wherewith to make thee recompense." St Luke^ xiv. 

"The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the com- 
munion of the blood of Christ % And the bread which we break, 
is it not partaking of the body of the Lordf 1 Corinthians^ x. 

" You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of 
devils : you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of 
the table of devils." Ibid, 



MONDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

LOVING INVITATIONS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO COME TO 

COMMul^riON. 

1st Point. Daughters of Jerusalem, say to my spouse, to 
my well-beloved that I wait and languish with love. Say to her 
that I have descended from heaven to discourse with her, and re- 
main on earth to enter into the sanctuary of her heart ; I have 
taken the form of bread to nourish her, and all my pleasure is in 
conversing with and abiding with her, that I wish to espouse her 
in the face of the Church, and to contract with her an alliance so 
perfect that we may be as one person and one spirit, like the union 
which exists between my Father and I. Why, then, does she fly 
from me 1 Why despise and neglect me ? 

2d Point. I am the bread of heaven, which has descended on 
earth. I have assumed this form to give life and not death ; to 
be loved, feared, and eaten, and not merely honored. It is to 
purify her body that I give her my flesh ; to sanctify her soul that 
I give her my spirit ; to unite her to my divinity that I give to 
her my sacred humanity. Why does she, then, fly from me ? 
Why apprehend me ? 

^ 3d Point. I have been at an infinite expense to provide this 
feast ; I have spared no cost to give her marks of my love, good- 
ness, and magnificence ; I have spread on my table that which is 
the de^.light of paradise ; the bread thereon is the bread of angels 
and the manna of heaven, which never decays, but fills one with 
new delights and consolation as often as he communicates ; I 
have nourished her with my flesh, bathed her in my blood, 
enriched her with the fruit of my labors, given her graces in 



MONDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. o58 

abundance, communicated to her my spirit, comforted and cured 
her, strengthened her, and made her believe in virtue and sanc- 
tity ; and, after all these benefits, she despises me, ill treats my 
servants who invite her again to my feast, and approaches with 
unwillingness and disgust. 

4th Point. If I received at my table only the great of the 
world, only the rich ones of the earth, only the holy and perfect, 
she would have some reason for excusino^ herself, but she knows 
that I invite every one, of every class and condition ; the sick to 
cure them, the blind to give them sight, the feeble to strengthen 
them, the sorrowful to console them, the sinful to sanctify them, 
the just to perfect them, the perfect to establish and maintain 
them in righteousness, and prevent them from becoming lukewarm. 
Why, then, does my beloved retire from my table 1 What is it 
that prevents her approaching ? 

Say to her, that if she eats not of my flesh, and drinks not of 
my blood, she shall not have life in her ; she shall have neither 
strength, health, consolation, peace, virtue, courage, fervor, or de- 
votion ; but shall always languish and hunger, and be strongly 
tempted without power to resist temptations. ^ 

5th Point. Say to her, that if she defers approaching my table 
and continues to excuse herself, she shall never eat of it on earth 
or in heaven, in life or in death. Say to her, that I will give her 
place to the lame and blind ; say to her, finally, that fear is good 
but love is better ; that she despises me under the pretence of 
honoring me, afflicts instead of consoles me, offends instead of 
pleasing and loving me. 

Oh, bread of angels, which has descended from heaven for the 
salvation of souls, how canst Thou enter my heart, which is the 
dwelling-place of every vice, and has been for such a length of 
time the resort of devils ? Can I refuse Thee, knowing what 1 
am ? can I refuse Thee, knowing what Thou art ? can I approach 
Thee, knowing thy sanctity ? can I keep aloof from Thee, know^ing 
so well my miseries and infirmities ? 

Oh divine- lover of our souls ! Thou that dost invite us to thy 
feast with so much tenderness ! oh give to the poor prodigal, who 
comes hither consumed by his debaucheries, the wedding gar- 
ment. I confess before heaven and earth that I am not worthy to 
be numbered amongst thy servants, much less to eat at thy table. 
I deserve to spend the rest of my life in tears, and to be forever 
deprived of the communion of saints. But since Thou desirest 
and commandest me, all miserable as I am, to approach thy table, 
and dost threaten me with thy anger if I refuse to assist thereat, 



354 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

I will no longer think of my unworthiness, but regard only thy 
commands and desires. I will supply by my humility what is 
wanting in my purity, and by my obedience what is wanting in 
my charity. I will receive Thee as Zacharias the publican did, 
not with fear but with joy ; knowing that Thou art the Lord who 
comest to load me with blessings and graces. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" With desire, I have desired to eat this pasch with you, before 
I suffer." St, Luke, xxii. 

" He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 
me, and I in him." SL Jo/m, vi. 

" A certain man made a great supper, and invited many. . . . 
And they began all at once to make excuses." St. Luke, xiv. 

" But I say to you, that none of those men that were invited, 
shall taste of my supper." Ibid, 

" Bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the 
lame." Ibid, 



TUESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 



ON THE REASONS OF THOSE W^HO EXCUSE THEMSELVES FROM 

COMMUNION. 

1st Point. Why do you so seldom communicate ? I am afraid 
of making an unworthy communion. 

Fear is good but love is still better. We do not go to a ban- 
quet fearing, sad, and afraid, but with confidence and pleasure. 
The Son of God has not assumed the form of bread that we might 
fear Him, but to make us love Him, hunger after, and desire to 
receive Him. If you feel afraid to approach this table, should 
you not fear yet more to retire from it when you are assured by 
the Son of God himself that those who make excuses which are 
not reasonable or proper, shall never have the honor of assisting 
at the feast He has prepared. 

2d Point. How can 1 communicate often and worthily ] 
Is there no danger of familiarizing ourselves too much with God ? 

One is apt to despise men in proportion, as one becomes in- 
timate w^ith them, because they discover defects, which, before 
were concealed by distance. But the oftener you approach God 
the more you will love Him ; the more you will know Him, be- 



TUESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 355 

cause you will discover in Him continually some new perfection. 
What blasphemy and presumption to say, that the more man con- 
verses with God the more wicked he becomes, and to be holy, it 
is necessary to avoid Him and refuse His invitations to the feast ! 
When do we produce genuine acts of faith, hope, and charity, if 
not when we communicate ? Can the Church do or desire that 
which is bad 1 St. Thomas infonns us that she commanded 
persons to communicate every day, and the Council of Trent rec- 
ommends to all at least the desire to do so. 

3d Point. I have no devotion in communicating. 

There a is vast difference between devotion and the sentiment 
thereof. One can have much true devotion without being sensi- 
ble of it. Sensible devotion is not the most to be depended on or 
desired, because it subjects a person to many illusions. Besides 
which it does not always depend on ourselves ; it is the gift of 
God ; and He btstows it on whom He pleases. If it were neces- 
sary, those who feel no devotion at Easter, would not make a pas- 
chal communion, and those who never experience it woidd never 
partake of the body and blood of the Lord, without which they 
can never see his face in peace. When you feel no devotion, hu- 
miliate yourself; but do not excuse yourself, and remain away 
from the feast. The characteristics of a true devotion for this 
sacrament are humility, confidence, love, and a desire to honor our 
Lord, when we approach it, and unite ourselves to Him ; make 
Him reign in our hearts, and receive from Him eternal life. If 
sensible devotion were necessary, or essential, to communicate 
worthily, the method to obtain it would be to communicate often, 
because the effect of this sacrament is to increase charity, and 
produce a spiritual joy and satisfaction in the soul, which augments 
the desire. I declare to you that the less you communicate the 
less desire you will feel to do so, and the oftener you eat of this 
celestial bread the more you will desire it. 

I am unworthy because I sin continually. 

If you hold back from this heavenly banquet until you cease to 
sin, you will never communicate. You are w^eak, you are lan- 
guishing, you are sick, and it is on this very account that you 
ought to come often to your Physician to cure you ; your strong 
Hope to strengthen you. Can you correct your faults without 
grace ? From whence, then, I ask, will you draw it, if not from 
this divine sacrament, which is its very source? Did not the Son 
of God reply to the Pharisee, who was scandalized at seeing Him 
sit at meat with sinners, that He came not to those who were 
well, but to the sick ; not to the just, but to sinners ] Know you 



356 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

not that the Church teaches that this celestial bread is food for 
those who are in health, and medicine for the sick. You should 
not, then, abstain from it in consequence of your imperfections ; 
on the contrary, you should for that very reason feel obliged to 
resort to it. 

If any thing could prevent you from communicating, it must 
be either the nature of the sacrament, the quality you possess of 
man, or your condition as a sinner. It is not, then, in the nature 
of the sacrament, since it was instituted under the form of bread, 
TN'hich is made for daily use; it is not in your quality as being a 
man, because in that case onlv ano:els could communicate : and 
the difficulty lies not in your condition as a sinner, for it was for 
sinners that the Son of God assumed flesh, and suffered, and 
died. Provided, then, that you have confessed your sins, that 
you detest them with all your heart, and have formed a sincere 
resolution of amendment, there is no reason, no, none, w^hich can 
or ought to prevent your approaching this holy table.* 



WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CPIPJSTI. 



OTHER OBJECTIONS REFUTED. 



1st Point. But some say it is necessary to attain to a high de- 
gree of sanctity to communicate worthily. 

. If you understand by this worthiness a sanctity which ought to 
be equal to his whom you receive, the Holy Virgin herself would 
never have been worthy of communicating ; if you understand by 
it a purity without stain or defect, then were the apostles unwor- 
thy, because they had imperfections, and much more so the prim- 
itive Christians, who communicated every day. If you under- 
stand by this sanctity the necessary and sufficient disposition, the 
Church deckires it to consist in having no known mortal sin on the 
conscience left unconfessed before receiving. As to venial sins, 
the more you purify yourself and amend the better of course. 
What is it, then, that causes you to abstain from holy commu- 
nion? V/Jieii will you be exempt from defects and imperfec- 
tions 1: Is it not this holy and efficacious sacrament that sanctifies 
us and heals all our infirmities ? Is it not this life-giving bread 
w4iich. diminishes the sentiment or inclination to evil in little 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



WEDNESDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 357 

temptations, and prevents our consenting altogether to those 
which are great ] This is the doctrine of St. Bernard. 

2d Point. Never persuade yourself, devout soul, that the Son 
of God demands as a preparation for this sacrament that which 
is, in fact, the fruit, effect and end thereof. No physician requires 
a patient to be healthy as a condition, or preparation, to receive 
the remedv necessarv for his state, because health is the effect and 
fruit of the remedy administered. And thus, sanctity of life, and 
purity of soul, are the effects and end of the sacrament, as the 
Council of Trent declares. It is this divine food which appeases 
the fury of concupiscence, moderates the passions, and preserves us 
from mortal sin. How unreasonable and presuming, then, to de- 
mand sanctity as a necessary disposition to receive the sacrament. 
Alas I who would communicate at Easter if sanctity were essen- 
tial to the preparation 1 

3d Point. I desire to communicate frequently, but I am afraid 
of committing sacrilege 1 You cannot sin when you will not, 
and you cannot be willing to commit sacrilege when you fear it 
so. I fear that I will communicate only through custom. To 
accustom ourselves to good actions is an excellent thing. Is 
it necessary to abstain from hearing mass every day, for fear of 
hearino^ it throuo^h custom ] 

I do not profit by this sacrament. 

Do you often fall into mortal sin? and, if not, how can you say 
that you do not profit by communion 1 Is it not one of the effects 
of this sacrament to preserve us from mortal sin ? Who has the 
advantage, those who communicate often, or those who receive 
but seldom ? 

Oh, deceit and delusion of the devil ! He tempted our first 
parents to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree by hopes of life, 
and now he causes Christians to abstain from eating the fruit of 
life for fear of death. 

You sav that vou do not communicate often because you are 
unw^orthy. Then you will never communicate, if you defer it until 
you are worthy. Is there not some better disposition for receiv- 
ing this sacrament, than to judge yourself unworthy '? Do you 
not declare your un worthiness at the foot of the altar, before re- 
ceiN-ing ? Truly, it is not the sense of your unworthiness which 
prevents your communicating, but your 'attachment to some vice, 
which vou are unwillinoj to forsake. You excuse vourself from 
the banquet of the Lord, because you feel a repugnance to confess. 

4th Point. Oh, what is more terrible than the threat which the 
Son of God holds out to those who excuse themselves from the 



358 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

feast He has prepared and invited them to ! " These men!^'^ He 
dechires, " shall never eat at my tahleP The time will come when 
you will desire to enter the hall of the feast, but the door will be 
shut aaainst you : vou will wish to communicate, but it will be too 
late. The king, irritated by your repeated refusals, will send his 
army, who will put you to death, and burn your city. Loss of 
possessions, sickness, and even death, are often the consequences 
of contempt shown to this divine sacrament, in the fact of your 
unwillino;ness to receive it. 

Oh, Jesus, my Lord ! what reason have I to fear Thee, or to 
distrust thy goodness? Hast Thou ever maltreated a sinner who 
addressed himself to Thee? Didst Thou not eat and converse 
with the wricked, to convert them ? I confess myself a sinner, but 
I desire to live no longer in sin. It is for this reason that I ap 
proach thy holy table. To whom must those who are sick address 
themselves, if not to a physician % And where shall I find grace, 
if not at the fountain of all grace % 

I have no sensible devotion, but 1 know full w^ell that it is a 
grace that I do not merit, and that Thou hast done what is best 
pleasing to thyself in withholding it from me. I would rather 
communicate, filled with a sense of my ow^n unworthiness, than 
with sentiments of self-esteem and vanity. Can there be a greater 
degree of pride, than to imagine one's self worthy to receive God % 
There are others who soon w^eary of their long and extraordinary 
preparations, but as for me, I will depend alone on my humility 
and obedience. When I reflect on my extreme unworthiness, I 
exclaim, I must retire from this holy table ; but when I hear Thee 
declare, that he wdio eats not of thy flesh shall not have life in 
him, I respond, I desire indeed to live, and must lay aside all ex- 
cuses, go quickly to the feast, and eat at the table of the Lord. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"And the Lord of hosts shall make unto all people in this 
mountain a feast of fjit things, a feast of wine, of fat things full of 
marrow^, of wine purified from the lees." Isaias^ xxv. 

" Our soul now^ loatheth this very light food. Wherefore, the 
Lord sent among the people fiery serpents." Numbers^ xxi. 

" Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath 
spoken. I have brought up children and exalted them : but they 
have despised me." Isaias, i. 

'^ The poor shall eat and shall be filled ; and they shall praise 
the Lord that seek Him : their hearts shall live forever and ever." 
Psalm xxi. 



THURSDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 359 

THURSDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

ON THE LOVE THAT JESUS CHRIST SHOWS US IN THE SACRAMENT 

OF THE ALTAR. 

1st Point. Of all the names that can be given to this Sacra- 
ment of love," for love is there on his throne. It is the most 
glorious of all the trophies of love. It is here "Jesus makes 
known his greatness and magnificence. All his other perfections 
are hid here ; there is only his love that remains undisguised. It 
is a sacrament which proceeds from love, which satisfies love, 
and produces love. 

This sacrament proceeds from love ; the Son of God instituted 
it on the eve of his death. While Judas was bargaining with the 
Jews to sell Him, that they might put Him to death, and drive 
Hiop from the world, He was instituting means by which He 
could live and abide with the children of men. He left himself 
to his Church, and bequeathed to her his body and blood as the 
greatest and last gage of his love. His Father had commanded 
Him to die, but not to institute this sacrament, which is solely 
the effect of his love. 

If, then, his eternal Father has not commanded Him to give 
himself to us as food to nourish us, soul and body, how much less 
can it be said that men have merited it. They have rather 
merited to lose it by the injuries, outrages, persecutions, and ill- 
treatment with which they afflicted Him from his birth even to 
his death, and by the contempt they have shown this sacrament 
of his love, since He died. Answer ! What obligations was the 
Son of God under to give himself to you ? What service have 
you ever done Him ? What gratitude have you ever exhibited to- 
wards Him for having given himself to you in this sacrament ? 
How often have you profaned this sacrament, and caused the Son 
of God to descend into your heart as into a hell ? He foresaw all 
this, and, notwithstanding all, his love overcame all difficulties, 
and He had the courage to abide with us. 

If this sacrament is the effect of love, it is also the cause. It 
proceeds from and produces love. The soul, in this divine sacra- 
ment, beholds and possesses her well-beloved, enjoys his presence, 
gives Plim entrance into her heart ; He fills her with benedictions 
and graces, while she receives sensible marks of his love, is en- 



360 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

riclied by his merits, tastes sweetness at its very source, embraces 
Him, discourses with Him, listens to Him, and is changed and 
transformed with Him. Are these not sufficient reasons why we 
should desire to receive Him ? 

2d Point. How is it that a soul cannot love the sweet and 
compassionate Jesus in this divine sacrament, where He makes 
himself so familiar to her ; wherein He testifies so much affection 
for her ; opens to her his heart, gives her part in his divinity, 
and unites her to his sacred humanity ; adopts her as his daughter, 
embraces her as his spouse, nourishes her as one of his members, 
bequeaths to her all his treasures, enriches her with all his merits, 
and fills her with his graces. 

3d Point. Love has only one desire, which is, to be united to 
the object of its love. The Son of God contracts two astonishing 
unions in this divine mystery : one with the sacramental species 
of bread and wine, the other with those who receive Him. The 
first is so great, that some of the fathers compare it with the 
union of the Word with the holy humanity ; what, then, ought 
one to think of the union that He contracts with us, in which the 
end is more noble and desirable than the means, for at first the 
Son of God changes himself into bread to transform us aflerwards 
into himself] By this union his love is satisfied. It is this which 
it seeks. 

Of all unions there is none so perfect and intimate as that be- 
tween the food a man takes and himself It is the strongest, be- 
cause God only can separate food from the substance of him who 
has eaten and digested it. It is the most intimate, because it 
penetrates all the body, diffuses itself through all the members, 
and unites itself substantially to all the parts of it. When the 
Son of God gives himself to us in the form of food, He unites 
himself to us, in a manner thus strong and intimate, so that w^e 
are made one with himself. Oh, beautiful union, with which love 
is satisfied, and which ravishes and transforms a man into God ! 



FOR THE SAME DAY. 

1st Point. If this sacrament proceeds from love, produces 
love, and satisfies love, why am I so cold and indifferent when I 
communicate ? The heart can resist hatred, but it cannot defend it- 



THURSDAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 361 

self against love ! Oh strange prodigy, to remain cold and un- 
moved when I hold in my heart the source of infinite love. 

2d Point. Whence comes this coldness and insensibility "? Does 
it not arise from an inordinate love of the world, and a desire for 
something else than God? or from the fact that we do not mor- 
tify our passions, seek too much the gratification of our senses, 
are too tender and delicate with ourselves, and wish to suffer 
nothing in body or soul ? Is it not because our heart is attached 
to creatures, or that we are at enmity with our neighbor; have 
no compassion on the poor ; we w^ant fidelity, for we receive 
all, and wish to give nothing in return? 

3d Point. Oh my soul ! ^^'ill you always remain insensible to 
so powerful an allurement, and ungrateful towards the author of 
such infinite good ? Will you never give Him your heart 1 will 
you never love a God who has shown such love for you ? a God 
who condescends to leave the abode of his glory to remain with 
you? a God who makes himself your food and" your guest? a 
God who seeks you daily ? a God who invites you to his banquet ? 
a God from w^hom you fly, and who pursues you ? a God whose 
love for you was so great, that He died for you, and continues to 
sacrifice himself every day for your salvation ? 

Ah, I can no longer resist this love ; no longer defend myself 
from his pursuit. 1 desire to love Him as He loves me ; leaving 
all for Him, dying and sacrificing myself for Him. As it is a 
sacrifice of love 1 will no longer withdraw from it through fear, 
but will approach with courage, faith, and love. As He has given 
himself for me, I desire to make an oblation of myself to Him; 
as He has done all things for me, I desire to be all in Him, to 
Him, and for Him. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And w^hen the children of Israel saw it, they said one to an- 
other : Manhu ! which signifieth : What is this ! for they knew 
not what it was. And Moses said to them ! This is the bread 
which the Lord hath given you to eat." Exodus^ xvi. 

" I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the 
desert *, and they died. I am the living bread, which came down 
from heaven." St. John., vi. 

" Who will give us his flesh that we may be filled ?" Joh^ xxxi. 

" My fl(^h is meat indeed ; and my blood is drink indeed." St, 
John^ vi. 

" With desire, have 1 desired to eat this pasch with you before 
I suffer." St. Luke^ xxii. 
16 



362 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 
me, and I in him." SL John^ vi. 



FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTL 



ON THE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THE HOLY EUCHARIST. 

The fathers and the councils named the holy eucharist the treas- 
ure of all the graces and all the goods of God. Consider a few 
o£ these graces, it will help to sustain and increase your devotion. 

1st Point. The first grace, and the source of all grace, is the 
adorable body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we re 
ceive in this sacrament along with the merits of his passion. He 
also gives us therein his most holy sou], with all his virtues and 
his divinity, which is inseparable from his humanity. In the other 
sacraments He communicates his graces to us by creatures, serv- 
ing as visible signs, such as water, oil, and balm, to convey them 
to us ; but in that wherein He gives us himself, He confers his 
graces in person, consequently it is greater and more liberal than 
the other sacraments. What happiness to receive our Lord, like 
Simeon, in our arms; to have Him enter into our mouth and de- 
scend into our hearts ! To find that He has exchanged hearts with 
us ; that He has taken ours, filled only with its poverty, and given 
us his own, filled with the infinite riches of his grace. 

2d Point. Besides the sanctifying grace which He increases, He 
communicates to the soul in an eminent degree the gift of faith, 
and enlightens it with celestial knowledge, to recognize and be- 
lieve this wonderful mystery, and all the other truths and mys- 
teries of religion, giving us a taste of things which are inex- 
pressible and incomprehensible. The oftener the faithful soul 
approaches this heavenly banquet the greater light he receives. 
The two disciples who were going to Emmaus recognized Jesus 
in the breaking of bread ; approach this table, and eat of this 
bread, and the eyes of your soul shall be opened. 

Hope rec'eives marvellous strength and courage from this divine 
sacrament. Oar sins inspire us with fear, and often cause us to 
despond of salvation, but this heavenly bread elevates our droop- 
ing courage, and strengthens our hope by those promises which 
Jesus himself has made : " If any man eat of this bread^ he shall 
live forever. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloody 
abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, 



FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 36S 

and I live by the Father : so he that eateth me. the same aho shall 
live by me. I am the bread of life : he that cometh to me shall 
not hunger : and he that believeth in me shall never thirst. He 
that eattth my flesh and drinketh my bloody hath everlasting life^ 
and I vj ill raise him wp in the last day J''* These are the expres- 
sive words of Jesus Christ, which elevates and strengthens my 
hope. Will He who gives so much, so often, and so liberally, re- 
fuse the least of our petitions '? Can He who gives us himself re- 
fuse us his gifts ? Will those who are united wdth Him in this 
lile, be sep^irated from Him in the life to come'? 

3d Point. But the chief and principal efllct of this sacrament 
is to produce love in the hearts of those w ho receive it ; to in- 
crease charity and devotion, and enrich them with the gifts of the 
Holy Ghost. As a house that is on fire burns all that is within 
it, so the heart of Jesus, wdiich is only divine love, entering into 
ours, sets it on fire, and consumes its dross, and refines its gold. 
What latent germ of grace can resist this divine fire, which pene- 
trates and ditfuses itself throughout body and soul ? Oh, if w^e 
are cold and lukewarm, it is because w^e are not disposed to be 
otherwise, or that our heart burns with some earthly love or pro- 
fane passion. 

This sacrament strengthens us against all the temptations of our 
enemy, who, being vanquished by the death and cross of Jesus, 
cannot, in his pride, bear the commemoration and representation 
thereof, and flies from the presence of his Conqueror. Jesus has, 
by a word, silenced the stormy winds and calmed the most furious 
storms. What tempest can hold out against the presence and 
mandate of Jesus Christ? What passions can He not appease, 
when, on entering. He w hispers : '• Peace ; be still. Let not your 
hearts be troubled ; it is IT'' Noah held in peace all the beasts 
that were in the ark, and cannot Jesus, our Lord, assuage and 
calm the violence of our passions ] God^ Thou hast prepared 
7ne a table against all those who afflict and persecute me. 

4th Point. Finally, this sacrament makes of all who receive it 
one heart, one body, one soul, and one spirit, even as bread is 
composed of many grains of wheat, and the wine of many grapes. 
This is the reason why those who have hatred in their heart 
against their neighbor, when they partake of this bread eat and 
drink condemnation to themselves, and why those who do not 
become more forgiving and charitable after communion, give 
cause to fear that they have received unworthily. Reconciliatiou 

* St. John, vi. 



864 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

with our enemy, and charity towards our neighbor, should always 
precede and follow communion. This is the disposition w^hieh 
ought to attend the reception of this divine sacrament, and the 
fruit it should produce. 

O Lord, my God, Thou hast made known the ineffable sweet- 
ness of thy Spirit to thy children, and satisfied the hungry with 
delicious food ; sending empty away the rich, the disdainful, and 
the proud, from thy table. O my God, the hearts of all creatures 
hope in Thee, and Thou wilt give them nourishment in a proper 
and seasonable time ; Thou wilt open thy hand and fill all the 
earth with blessings. 

O my soul, how long will you remain away from God ? will 
you be always inflamed with the love of creatures ? what can you 
desire if not this banquet which will give you life, fill you witn 
grace, fortify you against temptations, and give you an almost cer- 
tain pledge of your salvation; heal you in sickness, make you go 
on and increase in perfection ; which will enlighten your spirit, 
rejoice your heart, calm your passions, disgust you with the delu- 
sive pleasures of earth, unite you in the bonds of Christian charity 
with your neighbor, and transform you into God 1 Eat, then, 
often at the table of Him who invites you to the feast, and re- 
member to carry with you the wedding garment, that you may 
eat worthily. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Thou didst feed thy people with the food of angels, and gavest 
them bread from heaven prepared without labor ; having in it all 
that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste." Wisdom, xvi. 

" What is his beautiful thing but the corn (bread) of the elect, 
and wine, springing forth virgins ?" Zacharias, ix. 

" And he arose, and ate and drank ; and walked in the strength 
of that food forty days, and forty nights, unto the mount of God, 
Horeb." 3 Kings, xix. 

"Thou hast prepared a table before me, against them that 
afflict me." Psalm xxii. 

" His bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings." 
Genesis, xlix. 

*' The poor shall eat and shall be filled." Psalm xxi. 



SATURDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 365 

SATURDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF CORPUS 

CHRISTI. 

ON THE OBLIGATIONS WE ARE UNDER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN FOR 
HER DIVINE SON, WHOM WE RECEIVE IN THIS HOLY SACRAMENT. 

1st Point. Our Blessed and Immaculate Lady is, in a manner, 
the mother of all the faithful, and more especially of all the pre- 
destined. She has given them life in the conception and incarna- 
tion of her divine Son, of whose body they are the members. 
She has furnished Him with that flesh and blood with which they 
are nourished in holy communion. The flesh of Jesus, says St. 
Augustine, is the flesh of Mary. He preserved, and still retains 
her substance, which He received from her ; and when you, there- 
fore, partake of the flesh of Jesus, you receive, in one sense, also 
that of Mary. This thought always inspired the saints with ex- 
traordinary devotion, and it is one of the reasons why this sacra- 
ment is a sovereign remedy for, and a preservative against 
impurity. This flesh of Jesus, the Son of Mary, touching ours, 
communicates to us its purity ; and this blood, entering into our 
veins, corrects and takes from them their corruption. 

2d Point. If this sacrament preserves the life of the soul, and 
if the flesh of Jesus is the flesh of Mary, can we not say that, in 
one sense, she helps to nourish and preserve your life as often as 
you communicate] 

3d Point, Jesus assumed the flesh of the most^holy Virgin, 
only that He might ofler it to his eternal Father in sacrifice, and 
give it to men under the form of bread. These are the two chief 
ends of the incarnation. It was necessary that we should have a 
victim whereby to honor God, and expiate our sins. But would 
it have been sufficient for us to have been established in grace, 
without any resource or means by which we might preserve it 1 
This divine sacrament meets every want, and supplies all that is 
wanting ; it is the perpetual sustenance and spiritual food of our 
souls, as material bread is the nourishment and support of the body. 

Oh who, then, can explain the reason of the outrages and in- 
sults which are oflfered to this holy Virgin Mother, by the abuse 
and contempt that men show towards this divine sacrament ? 

If communion is one of the ends of the incarnation, is it not ren- 
dering fruitless all the labors of the Son of God, to abstain from 
it ? It is despishig the cost of our salvation, and depriving God 



366 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of an infinite honor ^vllich our communion might render Ilim ; it 
is afflicting to the last degree to Jesus Christ our Saviour, who de- 
clared, duriijg his life on earth, that he had iic> greater desire than 
to eat this pasch with us ; it is to prevent Him from consum- 
mating the espousals which He contracts with a soul by commn- 
nion ; it is to refuse Him lodgings, as did the inhabitants of Beth- 
lehem, now^ that He is a stranger on earth; it is to drive Him 
from our heart, which is his kingdom, and prevent Him from 
taking possession thereof He reigns over as many empires as 
there are pure souls who receive Him. 

4th Point. How much it must insult and afflict our Blessed 
Lady, to see her divine Son maltreated by his subjects, and de- 
spised and driven from his kingdom ; to see his labors rendered 
fruitless, his designs without etfect, his body without honor, his 
feast without guests, his road w^ithout followers, and his blessings 
without thanks. On the contrary, what consolation for her to be- 
hold accomplished the great- work of our redemption, to see applied 
to man the merits of the passion and death of her Son, to see them 
reap the fruit of his labors, extend his empire, increase his mys 
tical body, and incorporate therein new^ and living members, who 
are all the faithful ^vho communicate worthilv. 

Oh, Christian soul, if you have devotion for the mother of God, 
approach this holy table, where you will receive the body and 
blood of Jesus, w^hich she engendered and nourished with her own 
substance. It wtiS this idea which so consoled the eminent Cardi- 
nal, Peter Damien. Hear his words : " My dear brethren, I pray 
you consider how much we are indebted to the blessed Mother of 
God, and wh^ thanksgiving we owe her for her great love for us ; 
for we receive at the altar the same body that the Holy Virgin 
engendered, and which she carried in her womb, and in her arms ; 
and we drink his blood in this sacrament of our redemption." 

Oh, Holy Virgin, I thank thee for having given me the precious 
flesh of thy Son, which is thine, for my food and consolation. Oh, 
what purity I ought to possess to receive so immaculate a guest ! 
The fathers were astonished that the Son of God condescended to 
enter into thy most pure and chaste bosom ; how much more 
ought they to have been amazed to behold a God-man, entering 
into hearts as corrupt and w- icked as my owm ! Oh, Mother of 
God, visit me often with thy Son my Saviour ; disdain not to come 
with Him into my soul, since thou didst come with Him, and 
dwelt with Him in a stable. In gratitude for this blessing, I will 
sing eternally the praises and mercies of the Son and the Virgin 
Mother. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 367 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But they have thought to cast away my price." Psalm Ixi. 

" You have forgotten God who brought you up, and you have 
grieved Jerusalem that nursed you." Baruch^ iv. 

" Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled 
for you." Proverbs^ ix. 

" For God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son.'^ 
St, John^ iii. 

" Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my 
fruits." Ecclesiasticus^ xxiv. 

"Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should 
come to me ?" SL Luke^ i. 

" He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from 
God his Saviour." Psalm xxiii. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St, Lulx^ xv. 1-10. 

"At that time the publicans and sinners drew near unto him to 
hear him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying : 
This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spoke 
to them this parable, saying : What mau among you, that hath a 
hundred sheep ; and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave 
the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until 
he find it ] and when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulders, 
rejoicing ; and, coming home, call together his friends and neigh- 
bors, saying to them : Rejoice with me because I have found my 
sheep that was lost ? I say to you, that even so there shall be 
joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than 
upon ninety-nine just, who need not penance. Or what woman, 
having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle, 
and sweep the house, and seek diligently, until she find it? and 
when she hath found it, call together her friends and neighbors, 
saying : Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I 
had lost. So, 1 say to you, there shall be joy before the angels 
of God upon one sinner doing penance." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Sinners approached Jesus, and He received them, 



368 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

conversed with them, and even ate with them. The Pharisees 
held them in great abhorrence, and would neither approach nor 
come in contact with them. But Jesus loved to see them about 
Him, visit them, and invite them to Him. Far from forbidding 
them his presence, and driving them oft'. He showed them much 
tenderness and mercy. Oh, wonderful thing, to see the Holy of 
Holies with sinners, and the Son of God seeking the friendship of 
his creatures and his enemies ! Do you act thus towards yours ? 

Sinners kept near Jesus, and Jesus was not oftended thereat. 
The -Scribes and Pharisees murmured because they sat at meat 
with Him, and Jesus defended them, saying that He came to call 
sinners, and not .the just, to repentance ; and that there w^as re- 
joicing in heaven upon one sinner doing penance, more than upon 
ninety -nine just, who need not penance. 

Oh, sweet and consoling words ! Why, then, do you abstain 
from communion 1 Why do you refuse to eat with Jesus ? You 
are a sinner ; it is sinners whom He seeks, and with whom He 
eats w^illingly, if they desire to be converted. The Pharisees mur- 
mur, but do not let it trouble you, because Jesus calls you, invites 
you, and expects you. 

2d Point. The Son of God is compared to a shepherd who 
leaves ninety -nine sheep in the desert to seek one that is lost, and 
having found it. He does not rest, but 4ays it on his shoulders, al- 
though He is weary, for fear that it will a second time go astray. 
Have you not wandered away from your Good Shepherd T Do 
you not live amidst evil companions who, like wolves, seek to de- 
vour you ? Alas ! He has long sought you, and had great diffi- 
culty in finding you. He has thrown himself into the thickets and 
tangled places of the desert, hoping to recover the wanderer: 
behold Him bleeding from the wounds inflicted by cruel thorns ! 
When He found you. He did not punish or maltreat you ; on the 
contrary, He placed you tenderly on his shoulders and bore you 
back to the sheep-fold. He bathed you with his blood, nourished 
you with his flesh, and, after all, you still elude his love and wan- 
der astray ! How often have you not done this '? Oh, ingrati- 
tude ! oh, malice ! 

3d Point. Jesus compares himself to a woman who had ten 
groats, and having lost one, she took a lighted candle and swept 
the house, searching diligently for it, until she found it, whereat 
she called in her neighbors and friends to rejoice with her. The 
nine groats are the nine choirs of angels ; the tenth is human na- 
ture. The Son.of God left the angels, to search for man, who had 
lost himself through disobedience. He rejoiced at having found 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, 369 

him. He does not say that He purchased him with his owii blood, 
the value of which is inestimable, but simply, and with joy, that 
He has found him ; for so much does He think of a soul, that 
He counts his own blood as nothing to the possession thereof. He 
invites the angels to rejoice, not with the soul that he has re- 
covered, but with himself, " as if," says St. Thomas, " God could 
not be happy without man." Oh, what goodness ! Oh, what 
love ! Oh, what mercy ? Oh, ungrateful man ! will you never 
love so good a God ? Will you always offend a God who loves 
you so* tenderly ? Will you always fly from Him who seeks you, 
and only seeks you to save you ? 

If the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner does penance, 
can we not, in some fashion, say that they are sorrowful when one 
just person goes astray 1 My soul, what have you been doing 
ever since you came into the world? You have renewed the 
passion of Jesus Christ, and afflicted the holy angels, by your 
wicked and guilty life. And not contented with wandering from 
your Shepherd, you have debauched and led astray your compan- 
ions of the fold ! How often have you not torn and devoured 
them? When will you cause the angels of heaven to rejoice? 
When will you repair the damage that you have inflicted on the 
interests of Jesus ? When will you return to his fold, and bring 
hither the sheep that you have lured away ? When will you be- 
gin to do penance, and be truly converted ? Do it quickly. Oh, 
what joy there will be in heaven ! Oh, what consolation you will 
aflbrd Jesus Christ! Oh, what a festival of rejoicing for the 
angels. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Come ye to Him and be enlightened : and your faces shall 
not be confounded." Psalm xxxiii. 

" The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was 
lost." SL Luke^ xix. 

" What think you ? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one 
of them go astray ; doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the moun- 
tains, and goeth to seek that which is gone astray ?" St, Matt, 
xviii. 

" I have gone astray, like a sheep that is lost : seek thy servant, 
because I have not forgotten thy commandments." Psalm cxviii. 

" Come to me all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will 
refresh you." St Matt, xi. 
16* 



370 BEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



THIRD MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE LOVE WE OUGHT TO BEAR JESUS, OUR GOOD SHEPHERD. 

IsT Point. Jesus is the iiiost beautiful of the sons of men ; the 
greatest of all kings ; the most charitable of all fathers ; the most 
faithful of all friends ; the most amiable of all masters, and the 
most perfect of all spouses. He is the most vigilant and inde- 
fatigable of all pastors. It is He who watches over all my cares, 
governs me by his wisdom, protects me by his power, and sus- 
tains me by his goodness. It is He who leads me into rich and 
beautiful pastures, and makes flow in my heart fountains of living 
waters, wherewith to quench my thirst. It is He who cures all 
my diseases ; defends me when I am assailed ; consoles me when 
I am afflicted ; seeks for, and brings me back when I go astray. 

2d Point. Jesus left the splendor of heaven, the glory of the 
angels, and made himself a mortal and passible man, rendered 
himself a poor helpless babe, lived in the midst of labors, suffered 
all imaginable injuries, contempt, tortures, and persecutions, for 
me ! He shed his blood and gave his life for me, and would suffer 
and die again, if it were necessary for my salvation for Him to do so. 
He watches over me unceasingly ; He has given his angels charge 
over me, to follow, instruct, defend, console; and take care of me. 

3d Point. Jesus loves me with all his heart ; He is always 
waiting at the door of my heart ; He implores me to give Him 
my heart, that He may enter therein, to render me happy by a 
union with Him; He has given his life that He may possess my 
heart. Am I worthy to live ? am I not the most ungrateful, un- 
just, and unworthy of all creatures, if I withhold it from Him, and 
refuse Him even a portion thereof? What does it mean, not to 
love so good a Father, so great a King, so charitable a Shepherd, 
so faithful a Friend, so clement a Master, and a Spouse so perfect 
and beautiful ] 

And can it be that I do not love Him 1 Alas, I do not keep 
his commandments ; I offend my neighbor, which is, of all things 
in the world, the most afflicting to Him ; I do not meditate on 
Him, I do not labor for Him, and cannot remain in his company 
without feeling discontented and sad ; I go over to the ranks of his 
enemies, and prefer the service of the devil to his. If I love Plim, 
it is with lukewarmness, coldness, and only in appearance ; my 
love is only lip service, and not that of the hear'^. 



THIRD TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 871 

Oh love of all loves ! oh heart of all hearts ! oh that I loved 
Thee, svv^eet Lord, as Thou lovest me! loved Thee as much as 
thy love for me deserves ! loved Thee as much as Thou dost 
merit ! Anathema be he who loves not Jesus Christ. O most 
tender and compassionate Shepherd of my soul, give me grace to 
love Thee above all, with all, and in all, that I may praise Thee 
and contemplate thy divine perfections through all eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Thou art beautiful above the sons of men." Psalm xliv. 

" Chrtst is all, and in all." Colossians, iii. 

" He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth me." St, John, xiv. 

" If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathe- 
ma mar anatha." 1 Cor, xvi. 



THIRD TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE LOVE OF GOD FOR SINNERS. 

1st Point. It is not unworthy of Crod to love his creatures. 
Every workman loves his work, because it is an effusion of his 
being, a part of himself. God has no need of his creatures ; they 
are dependent on his bounty, and it is for this very reason that 
He loves them, even as a nursing mother loves her childen ; not. 
with a love of poverty, but a love which is the effect of infinite 
plenitude and abundance; not to increase his own joys, but to 
make them take part in his happiness. 

2d Point. God loves his creatures, and, above all, man, who is 
the master-piece of his wisdom, the treasury of his goodness, and 
last of all his w^orks. As He loves himself He must love man 
who is his own image, and especially so since the incarnation. In 
virtue of this union man is not only the image and likeness of 
God, but God desired to become the image of man. Why, then, 
do you not love God, who has made you to the image of his great- 
ness, and himself the image of your miseries] 

3d Point. Not only does God love men but even sinners ; and 
not only sinners but the most miserable outcasts, for mercy be- 
longs so essentially to God, says Tertullian, that to deny God's 
mercy is to deny himself. Every faculty loves its object, and 
since misery is the proper object of mercy, God being infinitely 



372 . DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

merciful, must needs feel compassion for sinners, who are the 
most miserable of all creatures, especially since the time He be- 
came Man. For, having clothed himself with our miseries, Ho 
also clothed himself with the bowels of mercy. He has shown 
clearly that He loves sinners, since He has died for them. If 
there had been no sinners on earth He Avould not have assumed 
our nature, and rendered himself mortal and passible. 

4th Point. Why, then, poor sinner, do you doubt the mercy 
of God ? why fly trom God, who seeks you 1 a God who invites 
and expects you, and who extends towards you the arms of his 
mercy ; who loves you so tenderly, and who has sacrificed fur 
your salvation the life of his beloved and only Son ? Despair, 
says St. Thomas, is a greater sin than presumption, for the latter 
sins against God by assuming a right to his glory without having 
merited it ; but despair wars against and contends with the mercy 
of God. It is more natural for God to pardon than to punish, be- 
cause one is according to his nature, and the other the consequence 
of our sins. 

Be careful, thou timorous and scrupulous soul, not to fall into 
the dark abyss of despair. If you have sinned humble yourself 
before God ; ask his pardon with mingled grief and confidence, and 
remember that his love for shiners is infinite. Oh my soul, what 
do you fear ? Can you foisa moment distrust the love of Jesus 
Christ, after the assurance He has given you that He came chiefly 
to save sinners. If you are troubled in spirit on account of venial 
sins, how much more ought you to dread the guilt of fiilliug into 
despair, which, after hatred of God, is the greatest of all evils ! 

O my God, my Father, 1 have never know Thee until now. 
My impressions of thy justice were terrible and my knowledge of 
thy mercy void. Our crimes, however enormous they may be, 
can never equal thy goodness and clemency. This is the reason 
why, all miserable as I am, I confide in thy mercy and never 
doubt thy love ; and w^hen I shall find myself in an abyss of mis- 
ery, I will invoke the abyss of thy most clement mercy, because 
fulness discharges itself into that which is void, and abundance 
seeks union with indigence. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Come to me, all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will 
refresh you." St. Matt. xi. 

" God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but have life ever- 
lasting." St, John, iii. 



THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 373 

"Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto Him, to hear 
Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured." St. Luke^ xv. 

" Ye know not of what spirit you are. The Son of Man came 
not to destroy souls, but to save." St. Luke. ix. 

" God sent not his Son into the world to judge the world, but 
that the world may be saved by Him." St. John^ iii. 



THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Sltiiitatiffit. 

ON THE LOVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE FOR GOD, WHO IS THE SHEP- * 
HERD OF THE UNFV^ERSE. 

1st Point. How great is God in the grandeur of his universe ; 
how beautiful is God in the wonderful and beautiful creations of 
his power ; how good is God, for He is the author and origin of 
all good; how powerful is God who made the world out of noth- 
ing ; how wise He is, for He governs it without difficulty ; how 
liberal He is, it is He bestows on us every blessing, and many 
precious gifts ; how charitable He is, for He does good to the 
M-icked as well as to the just ; how merciful, since He pardons so 
many offences : how holy, because He can never love sin ; how 
patient, because He endures so many injuries. * 

He has given me many graces ! He has preserved me from 
evils, seen and unseeii-! He has promised me eternal treasures 
in the life to come. 

2d Point. Who is there tbit deserves my heart more than He? 
Who has offered for it so great a price?' To whom ought I to 
give it, if not to Him who has given me his ? To whom^ should 
I dispose of it, if not to Him who purchased it at the price of his 
own blood ? To whom does it belong, if not to Him who formed 
it, and gave it life ? Is a wicked heart worth the blood of a God ? 
Is it worth the life of a God ? worth the heart of a God ? worth 
the kingdom of God ? 

3d Point. Oh my God, I am not worthy of life if I desire to 
live for any but Thee. I deserve not a heart if I love any other 
more than thyself Too late have I known Thee, oh beauty ever 
ancient and ever new. Oh, I have too often offended Thee.' good- 
ness ever amiable, and always outraged. I acknowledge my blind- 
ness, I feel horror at my ingratitude, detest mv malice, and can no 
longer bear with my heart, which has so oftin insulted and be- 



874 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

trayed Thee. I renounce all creatures whom I have so often and 
basely preferred to Thee. Oh, I will always love Thee, God of 
my soul ; I will always serve Thee, God of majesty. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,' with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
mind." St Luke^ x. 

" God hath sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we 
may live in Him." 1 John, iv. 

" I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength : The Lord is my fir- 
mament, my refuge, and my deliverer." Psalm xvii. 

" Praising I will call upon the Lord." Ihid, 

" The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God : and let the God of 
my salvation be exalted." Ibid, 



THIRD THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE LOVE OF GOD FOR MAN. 

1st Point. God loves man because his nature being only good- 
ness, it is his pleasure to do good, and man is his image, his sub- 
ject, his work, and his child. He has purchased him with the 
price of his Son's blood. He is the temple of his divine Spirit, 
it is by the submission of man that He receives the homage of all 
his creatures ; it is by his tongue their praise speaks, by his heart 
their love is made sensible. For man He has created the uni- 
verse. Man is the last of his works, and will one day become 
the inheritor of his glory. We ought, then, to love God, because 
He loves us, and love Him as He loves us. 

2^D Point. The love of God is no new thing, for He has loved 
us from all eternity. We have always been in his heart and 
thoughts : his love is as ancient as himself He never was with- 
out loving us, and as He has always been. He has always loved 
us, and as He will always be, He will always desire to love us. 
Can you find a friend v/ho will love you as God does ? Have you 
ever known one who has loved you as long and constantly as He? 

Man's love is secondary, brief, and inconstant. God has loved 
us from all eternity, loved us infinitely, and desires to love us 
eternally. Although He hates the detestable life of the sinner, 
He nevertheless loves his soul ; yea, with so great a love that He 



THIRD FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 375 

gave his only-begotten Son to die the ignominious death of the 
cross, to redeem it from everlasting misery ; and He will never 
cease loving him if he will forsake his evil ways, detest his sins, 
and do the works of true penance. 

3d Point. The'love of God is pure and disinterested. He loves 
us without having need of us, witliout expecting any thing from us 
that will profit himself; without any merit on our part or obliga- 
tion on his. He loves us that we may love Him and be rendered 
happy by his love, for it is love that unites us to God, and it is 
in this union that our happiness consists. Where will you find 
one on earth to love you thus ? What does man seek in loving 
but his own happiness and interest ? what advantages do you de- 
rive from the love of creatures 1 When did you ever find true 
happiness in their love ? 



THIRD FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON OTHER PR0PERTIF:S OF THE LOVE OF GOD. 

1st Point. Men are hard and diflficult to move ; their love is 
proud, imperious, and arrogant. It is only necessary to oflfend 
them to change their love into hatred, and then they hate as much 
as they before loved. The love of God is sweet, tender and bene- 
ficent. It is the swee'test of all love. It is the love of a father, 
a mother, and nurse combined. God is love. 
. 2d Point. The love of God is strong and triumphs over all 
diflSculties. What greater or stronger proof of this could He 
give, than to have clothed himself in mortal and passible flesh, 
be born in a stable, live in labors from his youth, and sufler and 
die on the cross like a malefactor ? Could any thing be more diffi- 
cult than for Him to seek the love of his feeble and insolent ene- 
mies ; to submit to be maltreated and outraged by his slaves, for 
the love of an ungrateful people, and to do good to his rebellious 
subjects? Behold in yourself one of the cruel and ungrateful 
enemies of God. 

And, notwithstanding all, He continues to love you, and to se 
cure your salvation, has overcome all opposition and difficulties. 
Oh, why do you love Him so little ? why is your love so base ? 
Alas ! w^hat has He done to cause you to murmur and fall into 
such impatience ? Wliai have you done for God ? what have you 
'inrl.u^^od for Him? what blood have you shed for Him] what 



376 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

victories have you won 1 Are you not one of those of whom the 
prophet speaks when he says : ^''They shall be dispersed to seek for 
food^ and if they find not luherewith to satisfy them^ they will 
murmur,''^ 

3d Point. The love of God for us is infinite.* He loves us as 
He loves himself; He has done and continues to do us infinite 
good ; He has suffered infinite evils for us ; He has shed his blood, 
which is an infinite price, for us ; communicated to us his grace, 
which is a treasury of infinite merit; prepared for. us his glory, 
which is an infinite happiness. Measure your heart with the heart 
of God and see if you love Him as He loves you ! Oh what a 
difference ! what a contrast ! How canst Thou continue to love 
me, my God, when Thou seest and knowest what I am ] 



THIRD SATURDAY AFTER . PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The love of God is universal ; it is not limited, like 
ours, in regard to certain persons, through sympathies and aver- 
sions, through inclinations and antipathies. The heart of God 
embraces and. takes in all mankind; there are none whom this 
love does not overshadow, none to whom He has not given all 
that is necessary, none whom He has not enlightened by his in- 
spirations, assisted by his grace, and given an angel to watch over, 
their ways ; none whom He has not the desire to save, none to 
whom He has not furnished the means, and for whom He has not 
established the sacraments of the Church. 

2d Point. Does vour love resemble his ? Does it embrace all 
the world ? Does it not make exceptions and distinctions % Do 
you love all your brethren, friends and enemies ; the good and 
evil tempered ; the agreeable and disagreeable ; those towards 
whom you feel an antipathy, as well as those towards whom you 
are drawn by sympathy, and those who oblige as well as those 
who disoblige you ] 

3d Point. Oh, Lord my God ! is there any ingratitude com- 
parable to mine ? Thou hast loved me from the beginning, and I 
have offended Thee from my birth. Thou hast loved me from all 
eternity with a strong and pure love ; a tender, disinterested, and 
infinite love ; a love victorious over all that opposed it. A-url can 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 377 

it be that I have not desired to love Thee the few days of my 
life ? Alas, I love Thee with a divided heart, and experience no 
joy or satisfaction in my love. I do not love Thee with all my 
heart, even for a season; I set bounds to my charity, and love 
only such of my fellow beings as please me. 

Oh my God, I desire, henceforth, to love Thee as Thou hast 
loved me ; to love Thee, from the present moment, constantly, 
tenderly, powerfully, generously, infinitely, eternally, and univer- 
sally, ui all places, at all times, in all conditions of persons, and in 
the accomplishment of all the designs of thy divine will. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore 
have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee." Jeremias^ xxxi. 

" For the Father himself loveth vou." St. John, xvi. 

t/ ' 

" Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the 
knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy, ii. 

" Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them 
to the end." St. John, xiii. 

" For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord 
God, return ye and live." JEzechiel^ xviii. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St, Luke^ v. 1-11. 

^ " At that time it came to pass, that when the multitude pressed 
upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of 
Genesareth. And he saw two ships standing by the lake ; but 
the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their 
nets. And going up into one of the ships that was Simon's, He 
desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting He 
taught the multitude out of the ship. Now when He had ceased 
to speak. He said to Simon : Launch out into the deep, and let 
down your nets for a draught. And Simon, answering, said to 
Him : Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken 
nothing ; • but at thy word I will let down the net. And when 
4iey had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, 
and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that 
were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. 
And they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost 
sinking. Which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus's 



378 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

knees, saying : Depart from ine, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 
For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the 
draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also 
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. 
And Jesus saith to Simon : Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt 
catch men. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all 
things, they followed Him." 



ON THE aOSPEL. 



1st Point. A great multitude of people pressed around Jesus, 
some to hear his word, others to touch Him, that they might be 
cured of their maladies, until He was obliged to go into a ship, 
from whence he could more conveniently address them. Jesus 
was pleased when they crowded and pressed on Him to hear his 
word and receive some grace from Him. Why, then, do you so 
seldom attend the preaching of the Word of God 1 Why abstain 
so often, and so long, from holy communion ? Is it not in re- 
ceiving that you touch his sacred body, and find a sure remedy 
for the diseases of your soul? 

Jesus Christ made choice of the ship of St. Peter from whence 
to preach to the multitude on shore. It is only in the Roman 
Catholic Church that true faith and true religion can be found ; it 
is only here that it is taught and practiced. He desired him to 
withdraw his boat a short distance from the land, that He might 
instruct the people. Oh, humility of Jesus! Oh, admirable 
sweetness ! He does not exercise his authority, but asks as a 
favor that w^hich He mi^ht command as a right. Behold a God 
asking a favor of man ! a king of his subject ! a master of his ser- 
vant ! Learn from this example to treat your servants kindly, 
and not to speak to them with an imperious air, much less in an 
injurious and offensive manner; to live justly with all the world, 
and discharge every social and moral duty kindly and with due 
regard to the feelings of others. 

2d Point. St. Peter, could have refused the request of the Son 
of God by urging as an excuse, that his boat was necessary for 
his own use, as by it he obtained his daily support ; or that he 
could not neglect his business, and must fish, or, at least, cast his 
nets ; or that he had other things to attend to besides listening to 
sermons ; or that if he lost time by gratifying his wish, he should 
expect to be paid ; but he suggested no such reasons ; he urged 
no such objections, but obeyed with alacrity the desire of the Son 



FOURTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 379 

of God. If on this occasion he had been deficient in charity to- 
wards the Saviour, or had allowed feelings of self-interest, disap- 
pointment, or ill -humor to actuate him, perhaps he would never 
have been an apostle of Jesus. Oh, how often our salvation and 
perfection depend on little things ! 

3d Point. We never lose any thing that we give to God ; on 
the contrary, it betters our affairs when we prefer spiritual to 
temporal profit. St. Peter served God at his own expense ; he 
preferred his word to his occupation; he neglected the temporal 
interest and gain that he might have drawn from his boat, for the 
spiritual profit of his soul. He lost nothing by it ; on the con- 
trary, he profited by it, temporally as well as spiritually ; tem- 
porally, having afterwards drawn in his net so filled with fishes 
that both boats were necessary to hold them ; spiritually, by be- 
ing raised by God to the digrfity of an apostle. ^''Fear notil'' saith 
Jesus, ''^ from henceforth thou shalt catch men.'''' Be not astonished 
if your affairs are unprosperous ; it is because you prefer tem- 
poral to spiritual good ; neglect the principal, and think only of 
the accessory. '''Seek first the kingdom of God^ and all things 
shall be added.''''^ 



FOURTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. ^'•Master, we have labored all the nighty and have taken 
nothing.'''' This is the complaint of worldlings and the wicked. 
They labor much and gain nothing, because they are without a 
right intention, and work during the night, that is to say, in a state 
of mortal sin. We accomplish nothing if Jesus is not with us ; 
if He does not command us to cast in our nets ; if He does not 
give his benediction to our work. On the other hand, good men 
work but little and gain much, because they are in grace, and their 
labors are only for God ; they place all their trust in Him, and 
obey the inspirations of his Spirit. Is not your want of success, 
and the failure of your designs owing to the facts that you act only 
from impulse, and for base and terrestrial things, and because 
your motives are avaricious and ambitious, and you seek not God, 
phice no trust or confidence in Him, ask not his grace or blessing, 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. \ 



380 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

and always work in the night of sin ? Oh, labor lost ! Oh, vain 
cares ! Oh, useless occupations ! 

2d Point. Imitate the obedience and charity of St. Peter. He 
could have remonstrated with our divine Lord, and said, when He 
ordered him to cast in his nets, "It is useless labor. Rabbi ; we 
have caught nothing during the night, and cannot expect to be more 
successful now that it is day, night being the most favorable time 
for taking fish, besides which, we are fatigued by our fruitless toil, 
and it is necessary to await the return of the fish." He opposed no 
such reasons to the desires of Jesus, but renouncing his own will 
and judgment at his word, he moved his boat farther out into the 
deep, and casting in his nets, they were soon filled with an innu- 
merable quantity of fish. Behold the fruits of obedience ! Be- 
hold how God rewards those who obey the m_otions of his grace, 
act only by his word, and submit to the government of their supe- 
riors. 

3d Point. St. Peter, on beholding this miracle, cast himself at 
the feet of Jesus, and said to Him : " Depart from me^ for I am 
a sinful man^ LordP Those who rely alone on their industry 
and talents, and depend on their own designs, grow proud and 
presumptuous ; but those who labor under obedience, give to God 
all the glory of their success, and become more humble. Oh, 
what more noble occupation, than to gather in souls to God, as a 
fisherman takes fish in his nets. Is this your profession? Have 
you brought up any from the deep of sin to present to Him? 
Alas ! have you not ensnared souls in the nets of flesh and blood, 
and sacrificed them to the devil % When will you cast your nets 
to gain souls for heaven % when repair the losses you have occa- 
sioned 1 Do you know the law? Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, 
soul for soul. Fear and tremble ! Change your life, edify your 
neighbor, and begin to work for the salvation of souls. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which 
endureth unto everlasting life." St, John, vi. 

" Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God, and his justice ; 
and all these things shall be added unto you." St, Matth. vi. 

'• Who hath wrought and done these things ? I, the Lord, I am 
the first and the last." Isaias, xli. 

" Behold, I will send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall 
fish them : and after this I will send them many hunters, and they 
shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and 
out of the holes of the rocks." Jeremias^ xvi. 



FOURTH TUESDAY APTER PENTECOST. 381 

" I have labored in vain : I have spent my strength without 
C-'iuse and in vain : therefore my judgment is with the Lord, and 
my work with God." Isaias^ xlix. 

" You have sowed much and brought in little : have eaten, but 
have not had enough : you have drunk and have not been filled 
w^ith drink : you have clothed yourselves, but have not been 
warmed : aud he that hath earned wages, put them into a bag 
with holes." Aggeus^ i. 

" I have labored a little, and have found much rest to myself." 
JEccles, i. 

" He saith to them : cast the net on the right side of the ship, 
and ye shall find. They cast, therefore : and now they were not 
able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes." St, John^ xxi. 



-•>•- 



FOURTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON PURITY OF INTENTION, 



1st Point. You are God's own, for you came from Him alone. 
If you are God's, you should labor only for God. The aims of 
your soul w^ill govern your actions ; if they are good your actions 
will correspond wdth them ; if they are bad, so will your works 
be evil. If you work for the same end as God does, your actions, 
like his, will be pure and holy. For whom do you labor ? For 
whom do you take such pains 1 

God works only for himself, and you wish to work only for 
yourself : God seeks only his own glory, and you wdsh to seek 
only yours. It is evident, then, that you wrish to equal God. He 
only desires to save you, and you desire eternal loss ! Is this 
the w^ay you love Him 1 If you do nothing for Him, can you ex- 
pect Him to do aught for you 1 If you are evil to yourself, w^ho 
will do you good 1 

2d Point. God regards not the hand, but the heart; He con- 
siders not the gift, but the giver. The intention, alone, profits 
something, without the action ; but the action profits nothing 
without the intention. 

Who is it that you seek to please? For whom do you desire 
to work ? To what idol do you sacrifice your thoughts, desires, 
and actions? That of the flesh? that of ambition? of avarice? of 
interest? of pleasure? What have you gained in the service of 



382 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

such masters 1 what profit have you dra^vu from your labors ? 
Alas ! at the hour of your death you will find yourself empty, 
handed, and discover that, after all your labors, you have gained 
no thin 0-. 

3d Point. Oh, you will find true happiness in the service of 
God I Oh, He will liberally repay your labors ! Is it not just 
that I should work for Him who gave me being, and who pre- 
serves me ? What baseness to give to Satan the fruit of the tree 
which belongs to God ! Who are you ? Whence came you ? 
Whither are you going ? Who has a right to reap a field if not 
he w^ho has planted it 1 

I desire no longer to serve the world ; it is an unfaithful and 
deceitful ally. I wish no longer to work for my body ; it is a 
slave w^hich merits not my services. I desire no longer to obey 
Satan, for he is a barbarous master, who renders his subjects 
eternally miserable. I will serve only Jesus, the best, the sweet- 
est, and the most liberal of masters. Since I am all to Him, I 
wish to work only for Him. Since one loves Thee, O my God, 
in wishing to love Thee, and pleases Thee by wishing to please 
Thee, I desire to think only of loving and pleasing Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For all seek the things that are their own, not the things that 
are Jesus Christ's." PhiUppians^ ii. 

" Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart ?" 4 Kings, x. 

" Do I seek to please men ? If I did yet please men I should 
not be the servant of Christ." Galatians, i. 

" Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, 
do all things for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians, x. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON OBEDIENCE. 

^^At thy word I will let down the net^ 

1st Point. He w^ho is obedient is truly happy. He ahvays 
acts according to his wishes, because he never wishes for any thing 
except that which is ordered him. He possesses all the virtues, 
w^hich are the offspring of obedience. He triumphs over all vices, 
'which are powerless in their attempts to resist this virtue. 



FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. o83 

A disobedient Christian or religious is miserable. He labors 
much, and gains nothing ; he is strongly tempted, and yields ; he 
\vars against the will of God, and God wars against him ; he for- 
sakes the order of his goodness, and enters into that of his justice. 
God breaks the will that will not bend. He crosses those who 
oppose themselves to his commands. He drives from his house 
those who refuse obedience to its laws. 

2d Point. It is not just to expect that he who refuses to obey 
his superiors should be obeyed by inferiors ; it is unreasonable to 
demand, it. He whose spirit will not submit to his superiors, 
loses dominion over his body, which is his inferior. The flesh 
obeys not a rebellious spirit, but revolts against it. Adam felt the 
rebellion of his body from the time that he broke through the 
restraints of the obedience that he owed to God. 

3d Point. Is not disobedience the cause of your temptations? 
Whence come all these obscene thoughts, badly-regulated emo- 
tions, and distracting imaginations, which torment and agitate you 
so furiously, if not from the pride of your spirit, which refuses to 
submit to its superiors. God punishes spiritual pride by tempta- 
tions of the flesh. It was thus He chastened the haughty philos- 
ophers of whom St. Paul speaks. You shall never be delivered 
from the evils that assail you unless you become humble and 
obedient. 

Oh, Christian and religious soul ! are you acting wisely to draw 
distinctions between your superiors'? Do you not adore one 
Jesus Christ, equally Avhen you bow before his images on earth, 
whether they be of clay or marble, whether they are carved in 
wood, or moulded in gold or silver % Did not God speak by the 
mouth of Amos, who led the cattle, as well as by the lips of 
Isaias, who conducted the royal family % Is it not as necessary -ft) * 
obey a Pope who is ignorant, as one who is learned % 

Obey, then, religious soul, your superiors ; obey them in all 
things that are not sinful ; obey them with all your heart, all 
your mind ; obey them cheerfully and voluntarily, and obey with- 
out question or remonstrance. Obey, like Jesus, even unto death. 
He died through obedience. Be faithful to the end, and lose life 
sooner than rebel against obedience. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather 
that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed ] For obedience is\ 
better than sacrifice." 1 Kings, xv. 

" An obedient man shall speak of victory." Proverbs^ xxJ 



384 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

' Because it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel ; and like the 
crime of idolatry to refuse to obey." 1 Kings^ xv. 

" He that resist eth the power resisteth the ordinance of God. 
And they that resist, purchase to themselves damnation." Ro- 
mans^ xiii. 

" Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch 
as being to render an account of your souls, that they may do this 
with joy and not with grief; for this is not expedient for you.' 
Hebrews^ xiii. « 



FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON DETACHMENT FROM CREATURES. 

1st Point. Take for example St. Peter and his companions, 
who left their boats and nets to follow our Lord. Have you ever 
found true happiness in creatures ? Have you found rest, safety, 
fidelity 1 Glance back over your whole life, and you will see that 
it has been passed in pain of heart and continued disappointments 
and sorrow ? Examine the cause, and you will perceive that your 
troubles have arisen from your attachment to creatures, w^ho have 
either abandoned or betrayed you. 

2d Point. Depend no longer on creatures ; they are vain and 
inconstant, frivolous and full of defects ; impure, worldly, and un- 
worthy ; they are more vile than you; you more noi)le than 
they ; they may amuse but cannot satisfy you ; can trouble but 
cannot calm your soul. Why, then, do you attach yourself to 
tbem with such aifection? Why pursue them with such ardor] 
Why seek rest where you can never find it 1 

3d. Point. Your heart is small in size but great in its desires. 
However great may be the joys of paradise, your heart is capable 
of containing them ; it is so great that only God can fill it ; if He 
does not possess it you will always be tormented by an insatiable 
hunger ; it will fly, like an insect, from flower to flower, from 
creature to creature, seeking, in vain, to satisfy its desires and 
find rest. On the contrary, if it attaches itself to God, it will 
enjoy a peace which passeth all human understanding, and find 
itself, fully satisfied.* 

♦ Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 385 

FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. God created the heart of man, to love Him. He 
rendered it capable of containing infinite treasures. It cannot be 
filled nor satisfied by any thing limited. It is a stream which 
seeks the ocean ; it is a flame which is continually agitated while 
it remains out of its sphere ; a stone which can only rest in its 
centre ; a ray which seeks to be united to its first cause. 

2d Point. O my God, my experience convinces me, that I was 
made for Thee, for, since I knew myself, I have found neither 
peace nor rest, except in Thee ; my attachment to creatures has 
rendered me miserable. Oh, I am happy since I have returned 
and given myself to Thee 1 See and taste that the Lord is sweet. 
Shall 1 ever again resort to broken cisterns, which hold troubled 
and impure waters ? No, oh my God, I will seek refreshment for 
my soul in Thee, who art the source of living waters, where I can 
quench my thirst and satisfy all my desires. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Ecdesiastes, i. 

''Turn, O my soul, into thy rest: for the Lord hath been 
bountiful to thee." Pscdm cxiv. 

"O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? 
Why do you love vanity, and seek after lying." Psalm iv. 

"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law 
of the Lord." Psalm cxviii. 

" And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep 
your hearts and. minds in Christ Jesus." Phili2jpians, iv.° 



FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHO LEAVE ALL TO FOLLOW JESUS 

CHRIST.* 

1st Point. Religion is a paradise, wherein one always contem- 

rP^/i'ii^n^^^'^M ''A'^^^'' ^^o^ '?'' ^^r^^^ *? ^ religious statc. other Christians can 
read again the Meditation on Pur^ty (f Intention 

17 



S86 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

plates God, and always hears his voice ; where one is always in 
his presence and his company, always doing his will and singing 
his praises. 

Religion is a state wherein one flills rarely ; where one sins but 
lightly; vrhere one rises again quickly; where one merits inces- 
santly ; where one lives holily ; where one dies sweetly, and 
where one is saved certainly. 

2d Point. The yoke of the w^orld is heavy ! Its crosses are 
hard and exceedingly difficult to carry ; its thorns are piercing ; 
its chalice bitter f its examples bad ; its company infectious ; its 
laws tyrannical ; its maxims detestable ; its pleasures vain and 
shameful ; its goods imaginary ! They are like the Egyptian 
leeks, which draw^ tears from the eyes of those who eat them ; and 
cause those who love them to weep. 

O, my God, I implore thy pardon for having hitherto lived in 
religion without religion ; for having converted my paradise into 
a hell ; for having preferred the fruits of knowledge to the fruits 
of life ; for havino- felt wearv of this sacred desert, where we have 
Moses to conduct us, and where we are nourished with celestial 
bread having in it all that is delicious ; for having been filled with 
vain regrets for the flesh-pots and leeks of Egypt; for having 
complained of the length of the road and the fatigues of the jour- 
ney, and for having revolted, like the Jews, against the superiors 
who govern me. 

3d Point. Ungrateful and unfiithful soul ! why will you mur- 
mur against your God, who has brought you out of Egypt by 
the all-powerful strength of his arm ; and has led you through the 
Red Sea to this safe and holy solitude ? Why will you adore 
the idols of the Egyptians, and dance around a brazen statue? 
God will send his messengers of wrath, with their swords, to slay 
you ! He will send fiery serpents which will sting, burn, and 
consume you ! 

Bless tiie Lord, oh my soul, who has drawn you from the depths 
of darkness, wherein you were plunged, to enlighten you with the 
beautiful inspirations of his grace. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, 
who has broken the chains that bound you to the world, and called 
you to his divine service. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, for hav- 
ing chosen you from among so many who are left in darkness, 
and in the shadow of death! What "return can you make Him 
for so many gifts'? How can you ever thank Him for the inesti- 
mable grace by which He has called you to his service ? for hav- 
ing received you into his house; placed you among the children 
of his dear spouse; written and engraved his law on your heart; 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 387 

nourished you with the bread of angels, and given you certain 
pledges of your predestination ? 

I will praise Thee, oh my God, all my life ! I will bless and 
love Thee with all my heart; keep thy law faithfully, and never 
stray from the guidance of those whom Thou hast given me for 
guides. I will fight against my passions, make war with my 
evil inclinations, and live in peace with all the world. Help me, 
oh Lord, to preserve the treasure Thou hast given me, for as 1 
could n;)t have come into this place without thy succor, I cannot 
remain in it without thy grace. 

W^ORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And He took away his own people as sheep ; and guided 
them in the wilderness like a flock." Psalm Ixxvii. 

" They remembered not his hand in the day that He redeemed 
them from the hand of him that afHicted them." Ibid, 

" They forgot God'who saved them, who had done great things 
in Egypt, wondrous wH)rks in the land of Cham, terrible things in 
the Red Sea." Pialni cv. 

" And thev provoked Moses in the camp ; Aaron the holy one 
of the Lord." Ibid, 

" How lovely are thy tabernacles^ O Lord of hosts ! my soul 
longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord." Psahn Ixxxiii. 

"I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather 
than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners." Ibid, 

" For better is one day in thy courts above thousands." Ibid, 

"" And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or 
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's 
sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlast- 
ing." St, Mail, xix.. Si. Mark, x., St. Luke, xviii. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 

The Gospel. St. Matt. v. 20-24. 

" At that time Jesus said to his disciples : Unless your justice 
exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into 
file kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it w^as said to them 
c^f old : Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in 
danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is 
angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And 
whosoever shall say to his brother, Maca, shall be in danger of the 



388 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

council. And whosoever shall sav, Thou fool, shall be in danger 
of hell fire. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and 
there shalt remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee, 
leave there thy gift before the altar, and go first to be reconciled 
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. ^''Unless your justice shall exceed that of the Scribes 
and Pharisees^ you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven!''^ 
Oil, terrible threat ! It is uttered by the Truth himself, who is 
the sweetest, the most just and charitable of all masters. He 
made it to his disciples, whom He tenderly loved, and whose lives 
were pure and without guile. He threatened not temporal pain, 
but eternal damnation, if they were not more just and perfect 
than the Scribes and Pharisees. Examine yourself for a few mo- 
ments, and compare your justice with theirs. 

2d Point. The Pharisees w^er^ constant in prayer, they paid 
tithes according to the law, gave great alms, fasted twice a week, 
encompassed sea and land to make a convert and b^-ing him to the 
knowledge of the true and living God. Do you do as much] 
Should you have done it all, and measured your daily life by their 
exact rule, it will be of no avail, because it is necessary that your 
righteousness should be greater and more perfect than the righte- 
ousness of these haughty devotees, whose outward seeming de- 
ceived only men. Alas, w^hat will become of you % If those who 
do some good are condemned, what can those expect whose w^orks 
are only evil % 

3d Point. The righteousness of the Pharisees was defective on 
several points ; it w^as only in appearance and all exterior. They 
did good only to be praised and admired of men, but w^ithin their 
souls were full of impurity and malice. They were lewd men and 
hypocrites, who concealed great vices under the beautiful appear- 
ance of love 1^0 God, charity towards the poor, and severity to 
themselves. Their devotion consisted in exterior acts, and they 
despised all who did not live as they did ; they were strict in the 
religious observances of human traditions, but scrupled not to vio 
late the commandments of God. 

Is not your righteousness and virtue like theirs ? are your exte- 
rior acts animated by a pure and disinterested intention ? are you 
within that which you seem without % does not your devotion as- 
sume those forms and appearances which will draw on you the 



FIFTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 889 

admiration of men ? do you not neglect your interior to occupy 
yourself with those things which appeal to the senses ? do you 
not despise good men whose devotion differs from your ow^n ? are 
you not harsh and severe with sinners? do you not murmur when 
you see them approach our Lord and eat at his table? Un- 
happy you, who have only the vices of the Pharisees, and do not 
practise their virtues ! If those whose piety is only exterior will 
be damned, what will become of those w^ho have neither interior 
nor exterior virtue ? and if those who do but little good shall be 
excluded from- heaven, what will be the condemnation of those 
whose works are only evil ?* 



FIFTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE NECESSARY DISPOSITIONS TO COMMUNICATE. 

1st Point. " There/ore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar ^ and 
there shalt remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee^ 
leave there thy gift before the altar ^ and go first to be reconciled to 
thy brother^ and then come and offer thy gift,^'' Oh, the great gift 
of the body and blood of Jesus Christ ! You offer this adorable 
victim by the hands of the priest, to acknowledge your dependence 
on God, who is the cause of your being ; to thank Him for all his 
blessings, for all that He has done and continues to do for you, and 
to obtain from his infinite goodness all that is necessary for your 
corporal and spiritual needs. Behold the end for which it is ne- 
cessary to oifer to God the holy sacrifice of the mass ; after which 
He gives you the same victim that you have offered to his divine 
majesty, to nourish your soul, and preserve you in this land of 
exile. Oh, what an offering ! oh, what food ! God is worthy of 
the offering, but are you worthy of such nourishment? 

2d Point. The most necessary preparation for a participation 
in the divnie mystery is, to be in charity with all men. He who 
has in his heart hatred towards his fellow being is not a partici 
pant in the graces of the sacrifice of the mass ; he has no part in 
this sacrament of love ; for him the blood of the Son of God cries 
not for mercy but for vengeance. When you bring your gift to 
the altar, and remember that your brother has aught against you, 
leave it, and go from the holy table to be reconciled with him. 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



390 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Never will you be united to the Son of God by grace if you are 
not united to your neighbor by charity. Pray to-day for all your 
enemies. Oiler to God the sacrifice of the mass, and your com- 
munion for them. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And He spoke also this parable to some who trusted in thi-m 
selves as just, and despised others." Si. Luke, xviii. 

''The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, 1 
give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, 
unjust, adulterers, nor such as this publican." SL Luke, xviii. 

" Men shall be lovers of themselves . . . and lovers of 
pleasures, more than of God. Having an appearance, indeed, of 
piety, but denying the power thereof." 2 Timothy, iii. 

"To do mercy and judgment, pleaseth the Lord more than vic- 
tims." Proverbs, xxi. 

" And when you stretch forth your hands, I will turn my eyes 
aw\ay from you : and when you multiply prayer, I will not hear* 
for your hands are full of blood." Isaias, i. 

" Wash yourselves: be clean: take away the evil of your de 
vices from my eyes : cease to do perversely." Ibid, 



FIFTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON PURITY OF INTENTION CONTRASTED W^ITH THE VANITY OF THE 

PHARISEES. 

1st Point. Christian soul, nothing is ever lost in the service of 
God. Instead of suffering loss, you will gain even more than you 
expect. To work for God, is to work for yourself. Your affairs 
will never prosper more than when you are attending to those of 
God. Some serve Him for the good it brings, but this service is 
not so profitable as that which proceeds alone from love. It is 
profitable at all times, and under all circumstances, to serve God, 
but it is never more so than when a soul seeks not its own profit. 

2d Point. True love contents itself with lovingr^ the object of its 
love serving as a recompense. The love which seeks any thing 
with God, is suspicious ; love which expects any thing but God, is 
mercenary ; love which finds a relish in any thing but God, is 
weak and languishing. But that love which seeks God alone, ex- 



FIFTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 391 

pects only God, works only for God, delights in God, and is con- 
tented with God, is perfect. 

3d Point. Working for gain, is an interested love ; working to 
become perfect, is a love which is not purified ; working to please 
God, is a thriving love ; working because God pleases, is the per- 
fection and consummation of love. Do you love God ] Do you 
labor for God ? Do you serve God, that you may save your 
soul ? This is good. Is it that you may become perfect 1 l^his 
is better. Is it to please God ^ This is most noble. Is it be- 
cause you delight only in God ? This is the perfection of love. 

Oh, my God ! I wished to love Thee from the first, but I wan- 
dered astray. I loved myself too much to love Thee as I ought. 
It is necessLiry to learn to serve Tiiee, that I may learn to love 
Thee aright. It is necessary for my soul to become thy servant, 
in order to become thy spouse. It is necessary for me to kiss 
thy sacred feet, and bathe them with many teiirs, before I can 
hope to repose, like the beloved disciple, on thy bosom. I will, 
henceforward, work for heaven, that my heart may become de- 
tached from the world. My recompense will be thy love. When 
Thou withdrawest thyself from me, I will still labor in hope, still 
W(jrk only through love. Oh, I shall be immeasurably rich, when 
I work only for Thee. I shall be perfect, w^hen my desire is to 
serve and please only Thee. My happiness will be full, when 
I love only Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE, 

'' With my whole heart have I sought afler Thee : let me not 
stray from thy commandments.*' Psalm cxviii. 

" For what have I in heaven ? And besides Thee, what do I 
desire upon earth ?" Psalm Ixxii. 

" Let no man seek his own." 1 Corinthians, x. 

"Nor sought we glory of men." ITkessalonians, ii. 

•• Even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who proveth 
our hearts." Ibid. 



FIFTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE MARKS OF A PURE INTENTION. 

1st Point. The signs of a pure intention are these: If you 
neither worry, nor work in a hurry ; if you work in secret as 
well as in public ; if you work as faithfully without witnesses as 



392 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



when the eyes of men are upon you ; if you work as if there were 
only God and yourself in the world; if you rejoice when others 
work more than you do ; if you are not angry when interrupted 
in ypur work; if it is a matter of indifference to you, to continue 
it or to abandon it ; if you are satisfied when your work does not 
succeed ! 

If you love equally good and bad success ; if you do little things 
with as much care as great ; if you are willing to do little, or 
much, according to the rule of your superiors; if you expect nei- 
ther pain nor recompense for your labors ; if- you are not incited 
to action by reflections on the esteem of men; if you give all the 
glory to God ; if praise or contempt, glory or shame, are alike in- 
different to you : these are the marks by which you may judge 
whether or no you work with a pure intention. Examine your- 
self on each of these articles. 

2d Point. For whom do you work ? Is it for God ? Is it for 
the world '? Is it to satisfy God, or to satisfy yourself? Do you 
work in peace, without disquietude, and without sadness of heart] 
Are you as faithful to acquit yourself of your duties in private as 
in public ? Do you feel no mortification when others succeed as 
well or better than yourself? Are you not troubled and irritated 
whenever you are interrupted ? Are you ready to do little or 
much, to do all or nothing] Do you preserve an even temper, in 
bad as well as in good success ? Do you look for praise from 
men ? 

Oh, my God ! I confess, to my bitter grief and confusion, that 
I have labored much, and gained nothing. I have taken .much 
pains and trouble to gain my ends, but have amassed nothing. I 
have traversed much of the road, but have not advanced towards 
success. I have labored much for the w^orld, and done nothing for 
heaven. I have toiled unceasingly for my body, and neglected 
my soul ; worked for time, and not for eternity ; worked for my- 
self, and not for God. 

Is this just? No, oh my God! Since I was created only for 
Thee, I desire only to live for Thee. Since I subsist only by 
Thee, I desire to work only for Thee. I expect no other recom- 
pense than the honor of having served Thee ; no other recompense 
for my love than the pleasure of having loved Thee. And, not- 
withstanding how^ever much I may not desire recompense, Thou 
art so good and liberal that I cannot serve Thee without obtain- 
ing it. If I seek only Thee, not only wilt Thou bestow on me thy 
goods, but even give me thyself. 



FIFTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 393 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart ?" 4 Kings, x. 

" Whom seek ye ? They answered him : Jesus of Nazareth." 
St. Jo/rn^ xviii. 

" Woman, why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou 1" St, 
John, XX. 

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about 
many things." St. Luke., x. 

" If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing." St. John., viii. 

" Now, to the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, 
be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy^ i. 



FIFTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON MEEKNESS AND ANGER. 

1st Point. A meek and quiet spirit renders a person happy. 
An angry and turbulent spirit renders one miserable. Meekness 
is a sign of wisdom ; anger, of folly. Every one shuns a pas- 
sionate man. Every one loves and respects one who is charit- 
able and mild. To become holy, it is necessary, first, to become 
m^eek. 

To be mild and peaceable, with every passion under subjection, 
is to be a man, a king, a conqueror, a Christian. To be passion- 
ate, and easily moved to anger, is to be a brute, a slave, and 
a pagan. The first carry with them marks of predestination ; the 
latter, marks of reprobation. Do wolves enter into heaven 1 
The Shepherd will only receive sheep into his fold, because they 
are the most mild and gentle of all creatures. 

2d Point. A man who is governed by mildness and peace re- 
sembles God, who is always tranquil ; he resembles Jesus, who 
was the meekest and most gentle of all men ; he is the master of 
his passions ; he lives in a state of impassibility and innocence ; 
he enjoys a profound peace ; He is always even and serene, and 
equal to all that may happen ; the Holy Ghost rests and reigns 
in his heart ; grace establishes her empire therein ; God contem- 
plates in him his own image as in a mirror ; He speaks often to 
him, because his passions are silenced ; He treats him with favor, 
and deals gently with him, because he is mild and gracious to- 
17* 



394 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

wards others; He pardons him his suis. because he does not feel 
or cherish resentment ; He bears with his infirmities, because he 
bears sweetly with the faults and shortcomings of his neighbor ; 
He loads him with graces, because He finds in him nothing to re- 
sist them. 

3d Point. The angry and passionate man is like unto a devil, 
always turbulent and grievous to those who deal with him ; he is 
the slave of his passions, and insupportable to all ; he is feared 
and avoided, like a ferocious beast : he is never at rest, nor does 
he allow others to be so ; he drives the Holy Ghost out of his 
heart, disturbs and overthrows the kingdom of his grace, and 
gives entrance to devils therein, who love confusion and disorder ; 
he spares none, God will not spare him ; he gives rest to none, God 
will not impart it to him. On the contrary. He will treat him 
with rigor, make him feel the effects of his anger, reprove him 
with severity, and, should he ever repent, pardon him with difii 
culty. 

Oh Jesus ! the most patient and meek of all men, have com- 
passion on my angry and turbulent heart. Oh mild Lamb of 
God ! Thou who wast led to the slaughter without a word of com- 
plaint, make me patient and sweet like Thee. Oh Good Shep- 
herd ! who dost separate the wolves from thy flock, how canst 
Thou let me remain with thy sheep ? Oh ! change my nature that 
I may become truly one of thy fold — one of thy predestined. 
Make me mild and gentle, meek and humble of heart, that thy 
spirit may abide in me. 

words of scripture. 

"Be not quickly angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of 
fools." Eccles, vii. 

" He will guide the mild in judgment ; He will teach the meek 
in his ways." Psalm xxiv. 

" An evil man always seeketh quarrels : but a cruel angel shall 
be sent against him." Proverbs^ xvii. 

" The meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance 
of peace." Psa hn xxxyi, 

" Whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be guilty of the 
judgment." St MatL v. 

" Blessed are the meek : for they shall possess the land." Ibid, 



FIFTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 395 

FIFTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

REMEDIES AGAINST ANGER. 

Isi Point. To be meek it is necessary to be humble; anger 
arises from pride. To be meek it is necessary to hate one's self; 
anger arises from self-love. To be meek it is necessary to detach 
yourself from creatures ; anger arises from some such attachment. 
Those who are lenient towards themselves, are commonly severe 
towards others. Those w^ho are meek and gentle tow^ards others, 
are generally austere tovv^ards themselves. Those who pardon all 
in themselves forgive nothing in others. 

2d Point. What do you gain by putting yourself into a pas- 
sion 1 You injure the health of your body, inflict deadly wounds 
on your soul, drive from it the Holy Ghost, and abandon it to 
the power of devils. You afllict and pain your family, make your 
house a hell, advance not your affairs, but rather ruin them, and 
instead of remedying the evil you have done, increase it. Is your 
course productive of peace, or any other good 1 Can one evil ' 
cure another ? . 

3d Point. Contemplate your image in a mirror, when your 
soul is tossed by fury and your countenance distorted by evil 
passions, and you wdlL behold a human being transformed into a 
beast ; you will see this creature, who was bought with the blood 
of Jesus Christ, forgetful of all holy things, roar like a wolf, foam 
like a horse, bark like a dog, tear and toss like a wild hog, hiss 
like a serpent, and gnash his teeth like one of the damned. You 
will see one who is as furious as the lion, cruel as the tiger, and 
as restless and agitated as one possessed. Is this the image of a 
Christian ] Are these marks of the predestined ? 



FIFTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE FOOLISHNESS OF ANGER. 

1st Point. What reasons have you for anger? Does not God 
suffer any thing from you ? Do you not make others suffer like- 
wise 1 Why should you not suffer a little as w^ell ? Why expect 
to be treated w^ith deference by the whole w^orld ? Have you not 



o 



9G DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



a thousand times, merited hell '? Have you not deserved to be 
there long ago, burning in its unquenchable flames ? In that place 
of misery and eternal tears, instead of having whatever you de- 
sire, all that you most fear and loathe will come upon you. Are 
you not worthy of all evils, and unworthy of all good ? Have you 
not merited hell 1 Why, then, do you fly into a passion when 
some one refuses to do you a favor, or mdulge in anger when they 
do you evil ? 

2d Point. But what wrong have they done you ? Does not 
your success and prosperity belong to God ? Can He not give or 
take it, whenever it suits his good pleasure ? Who can injure a 
hair of your head without his permission ? Who are you, to oppose 
yourself to the order of God's providence 1 What do you expect 
to gain by making war against Him ] What mercy can you ex- 
pect from Him, when you refuse to show it to others ? 

3d Point. O Lord my God, I confess ' that I am wrong. It is 
impossible for any one to do me as much evil as I deserve ; why 
should not men outrage and injure me, since I have outraged and 
insulted Thee? It is but just that they should be incessantly op- 
posed to my will, since I have always opposed myself to thine. 
Oh, I deserve to be despised, since I have despised and dishonored 
Thee ! oh, I deserve to be aflflicted, since I have grieved .and of 
fended Thee without reason and without measure. 

O meek and lowly Jesus, give me grace to imitate thy mild- 
ness and patience. Alas, I am not the master of my heart or 
passions ! My heart kindles and takes fire without thought ; my 
passions revolt against reason. All that 1 can do is to keep down 
the tempest that rages within me. Oh, this is difficult, and con- 
trary to my inclinations ; it is, notwithstanding, what I am re- 
solved to do : I will never speak when I am angry ; I will keep 
silence, in the trouble and commotion of my heart, and by this 
means, with thy grace to aid me, I will eventually triumph over 
the devil and my angry passions. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" A fool immediately showeth his anger ; but he that dissem- 
bleth injuries is w^ise." Proverbs, xii. 

"Why art thou angry? and why is thy countenance fallen?" 
Genesis, iv. 

"Let not your heart be troubled." St John, xiv. 

" Blessed are the meek : for they shall possess the land." SL 
Matt. V. 



feXXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 397 

"I was troubled, and I spoke not." Psalm Ixxvi. 
"Learn of me, because 1 am meek and humble of heart." St. 
Matt. xi. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
The Gospel. St, Mar\ viii. 1-9. 

" At that time, when there was a great multitude with Jesus, 
and had nothing to eat, calling his disciples together, he said to 
them: I have compassion ()n the multitude; for, behold, they 
have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat ; and 
if I send them away fasting to their own home, they will faint in 
the way : for some of them came from afar off. And his disciples 
answered Him : From whence can any one fill them here with 
bread in the wilderness ] And he asked them : How many loaves 
have ye ? Who said, Seven. • And He commanded the people to 
sit down on the ground ; and taking the seven loaves, giving 
thanks, he broke, and gave to his disciples to set before them, and 
they set them before the people. And they had a few little 
fishes ; and He blessed them, and commanded them to be set be- 
fore them. And they did eat, and were filled, and they took up 
that which w^as left of the fragments seven baskets. And they 
that had eaten w^ere about four thousand : and He sent them 
away." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Admire the devotion and confidence of these good 
people, who follow^ed our Lord three days and nights in the des- 
ert, without giving themselves any concern about where they 
were going, what they were to eat, or where they would lodge. 
They abandoned themselves to the guidance of Jesus^, and would 
rather have died at his feet than to have left Him. They did not 
complain of the length of the road, or murmur like the Jews when 
Moses led them into the desert. Every consideration was for- 
gotten ill the delight they felt at hearing his voice and being in his 
company. They went after Him, following his footsteps like a 
flock of sheep with their shepherd. Alas, how few follow Jesus 
into the desert ! how few place their trust in Him, and abandon 
themselves to his providence ! On the contrary, how many com- 
plain of the past and are troubled for the future. Listen to the 



398 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

words of our divine Lord : " Whosoever ivill he my disciple^ must 
take up the ci^oss and folloiv mey 

2d Point. Jesus had compassion on the multitude, who had 
been fasting three days with Him in the desert. '' If I send them 
away fastiny^^^ saith He, '' to their oivn homes, they will faint in 
the way : for some of them came from afar q/fV Oh Jesus, how 
filled with tenderness, mildness, and charity is thy Sacred Heart ! 
He cannot see the miseries of mankind without being moved with 
compassion. He sees every day, hour, and moment, our sufferings ; 
and when the right time comes, He assists us. When every 
thing tempts us to despair, it is then we must hope the more, for 
it is in such straits as these that He w^orks miracles. It was ne- 
cessary for the multitude to have been three days in the desert, 
that his Providence might be more apparent, and his divine power 
better known. It was necessary that the Egyptian flour should 
be entirely consumed before manna descended from heaven. If 
you do not receive heavenly consolation, it is, without doubt, be- 
cause you seek too ardentlv vour solace on earth. If Jesus has 
not wrought miracles in your behalf, it is "beca^use you have not 
hoped or confided in Him. '* / have compassion on the multi- 
tude^'' saith He, ''''for behold^ they have been with me three days ;'''' 
that is to say, they have attached themselves to me, and depend 
on my care. Rest, then, Christian soul, on the Providence of God, 
and you shall never want. 

3d Point. That soul which trusts in God, and casts its whole 
care on Him, sustains, in a manner, and defends his divine Provi- 
jdence, and proves, beyond dispute, that He believes Him to be a 
good, wise, and powerful God, who watches over all the spiritual 
and corporal needs of his creatures. There are, comparatively, 
but few Christians w^ho thus defend his Providence. Alas ! how 
many act as if there w^ere no such thing ; or, as if they were afraid 
to abandon themselves to the guidance thereof. One believes 
himself ruined unless human wisdom can be brought to aid him ; 
he rests only on its spirit, its prudence, its suggestions, and its 
works, all the time forgetting to cast his cares on God, and de- 
pend for support on his goodness. He seeks his friends among 
those who have power, riches, and credit ; but he comes not to 
Jesus Christ, who alone knows all the bitterness of our miseries, 
and has the power and will to deliver us from our difficulties. 
You say you are poor ! Do you follow Jesus in the desert ? Do 
you abandon yourself to his Providence? Do you ever distrust 
his wisdom, his power, or his goodness ?* 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the followmg Meditation. 



SIXTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 309 



SIXTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE MIRACLE RELATED IN THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus asked his disciples : " Hoiv many loaves have 
x^ouf who said : Seven,''^ It is the way of his divine wisdom, to 
let us feel and understand our own miseries before he aids us. 
After He had blessed the loaves presented to Him by the dis- 
ciples, He multiplied them by his miraculous power, and gave 
them to his faithful servants to distribute among the people. 
Although they, also, were hungry, they did not hesitate a moment 
to obey his commands. They gave freely to all, without stint or 
reserve. God distributes temporal goods to the poor by the 
hands of the rich, who are the stewards or ministers of his Prov- 
idence. He allows them to appropriate what is necessary for 
themselves, but it is his will for the surplus to- be distributed 
among the poor. The disciples had only seven -barley loaves 
wherewith to supply their own necessities. If they had selfishly 
desired to reserve these for their own use what would the Son of 
God have done ? He would have raised a table in the wilderness 
for these people, at which the disciples would have been forbidden 
to sit down ; He would have spread thereon a feast, of which they 
could not have partaken. Oh, ye who are rich, give of the abun- 
dance which God has so liberally bestowed on you ! Waste not 
your means in luxurious or riotous living, because He will require 
a strict account of your stewardship; and if you refuse your 
superfluous possessions to the poor, He will assuredly deprive 
you of all. 

2d Point. Jesus multiplied the bread only in the desert. This 
wonderful . miracle was a figure of that which He accomplishes 
every day on the altars, of t^e Church, whereby He multiplies the 
eueharistic bread, which is his sacred body and blood. That we 
may eat, and be filled, it is necessary that we should retire from 
the world and i1;s distractions ; sit at the feet of Jesus that we 
may hear and meditate on his word ; withdraw ourselves from all 
human consolations, and be fasting. It is in solitude that God 
loves to reveal himself, and makes the soul feel and taste the 
sw-eetness of the heavenly manna that He provides for it. It is 
herein that He gives rest and refreshment to all who follow and 
depend on Him. The ambitious man dies of hunger ; the avari- 
cious man of an insatiable desire to amass treasures ; and the im- 



400 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

pure are consumed by the fire of their own lusts ; they consort 
and eat with bestial natures like their own ; their food turns to 
bitterness on their lips ; their joys vanish, and they perish. Oh, 
happy are the poor in spirit ! they eat the bread of angels ; they 
are satisfied, and desire no more after partaking of the mystical 
feast. If you are not comforted after your devotions, rest assured 
that you have sought some other thing than God. You are like 
the Jews in the desert, who were disgusted with the manna and 
sighed for the flesh-pots of Egypt. 

3d Point. ''"They gathered seven baskets full of the fragments 
that were left.'''' It is thus that God multiplies the goods of the 
charitable. Give fearlessly, then, to the poor and you shall gather 
in more than you give. It is seed, which you cast into the earth, 
that will bring forth an hundredfold. After the disciples went 
into the ship with our divine Lord, they remembered that they 
were without bread, and were disturbed thereat. Ah, how did 
Jesus rebuke their want of faith ? " Why do you reason^'' saith 
He to them, ''''because you have no bread? Do you not yet know 
or understand^ Have you still your hearts blinded? Having 
eyes you see not^ and having ears you hear not. Neither do you 
remember. When I broke the five loaves among five thousand^ how 
many baskets full of fragments took you up ? They say to Him : 
Twelve. And when the seven loaves among four thousand.^ how 
many baskets of fragments took you up ? And they say to Him : 
Seven. And He said to them : How do you not yet understand ?''"' 
Incomprehensible blindness of man, who constantly forgets the 
blessings of God, and falls in a little while into his ordinary want 
of faith and hope in his word ? Is not this your spirit ? Do you 
not fall into these defects? Do you not, like Judas, distrust the 
divine goodness, and secretly receiv^e the price of blood? Oh 
Judas ! you did not profit by your avarice ; you returned the 
silver so unjustly acquired, and all your goods were only enough 
to buy the cord that strangled you. ^ 

Come, my well-beloved, let us go into the desert; there I will 
discourse with youi^ heart, and cause you to rest on my bosom ; 
there I will nourish you, and lavish on you the riches of my 
grace. The food that I will give you is only a loaf of barley, and 
not auy delicate meat, but, when blessed by my hand, you will 
find the taste of heaven in it. 

I come, my well-beloved, at thy bidding. I enter, with joy, 
into this sacred solitude of body, mind, and heart. All that nature 
delights in is wanting in this desert, but I fear not, because my 
crood Shepherd loads me. I have been two days on the road, the 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 401 

first I did penance for my sins ; the second I spent in doing good 
works ; and what remains for me now, my sweet Lord, but to 
rest on thy bosom ; what is left but for Thee to fill my heart and 
satisfy me by thy presence. Oh, sweet Jesus, when wilt Thou 
make me return to this holy solitude wherein my soul has found 
such ineflable refreshment ? When wilt Thou speak to my heart] 
AVhen wilt Thou give me this celestial manna to eat ? When shall 
we sing together this beautiful canticle of love : "J^fy beloved to me 
and I to H'un^ who feedeth among the lilies,"'' He is all to me, and 
1 am all to Him. He is all for me, and I am all for Him. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And I am not troubled, following thee for my pastor." Jere- 
mias, xvii. 

" The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall want nothing. He hath 
set me in a place of pasture." Psalm xxii. 

" They that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength ; they 
shall take wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; they 
shall w^alk and not faint." Isaias, xl. 

'• Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and 
thou shalt be fed with its riches." Psalm xxxvi. 

" None of them that w^ait on thee shall be confounded." 
Psalm xxiv. 

" Our soul waiteth for the Lord : for He is our helper, and 
protector." Psalm xxxii. 

" The poor shall eat, and shall be filled." Psalm xxi. 

" And the Lord of hosts shall make unto all people in this 
mountain, a feast of fat things, a feast of wine, of fat things full 
of marrow, of wine purified from the lees." Isaias, xxv. 



SIXTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON HOPE AND CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 

IsT Point. He who hopes in God acknowledges Him as the 
crreat first cause, and recognizes in Him a being endowed with in- 
finite perfection ; he allows himself to be guided by his wisdom, 
he leans on his power, confides in his goodness, abandons himself 
to his mercy, depends on his providence, and is assured of his 
love. Hope renders us like unto God ; it makes the weak strong, 
the poor rich, the miserable luippy. 



402 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. There is never more reason to hope than when all 
seems to fail, or to be courageous than when all appears the most 
appalling, or to abandon ourselves to God than when He seems 
to have abandoned us. God gives his protection to those who 
despair of their own ; He gives his power to those who recog- 
nize their own weakness, and imparts his treasures to those who 
acknowledge their own poverty. 

3d Point. If you are without support God will sustain you ; 
if you are unaided by human power, that which is divine will bear 
you up. Renounce your own judgment and the wisdom of God 
will govern and enlighten you ; strip yourself of all strength and 
the power of God will support you ; empty yourself of yourself 
and the perfect love of God will fill you with his graces and bene- 
dictions. 

Oh, all-powerful God, what am I, and what art Thou 1 Thou 
hast always been, I am only nothingness ; Thou art strong and I 
am weak ; Thou art the truth and I am but a passing shadow ; 
Thou art light and I am darkness ; Thou art infinite holiness and 
I am malice. 

Oh my God ! my hope ! I abandon myself entirely to Thee ; I 
depend on and rest in thee ; Thou art my guide and my shepherd ; 
I can neither lose myself, or fall, or go astray, if I place my 
w^hole confidence in Thee. 

To know God without feeling a sense of our own misery, is to 
be presumptuous. To know" our own misery, without knowing 
God, is to despair. To know the abyss of our own misery, and 
to know also the abyss of the mercy of God, is what makes the 
hope and joy of the saints. Jesus Christ is not only God, but a 
Mediator and SaviouTj wiio is full of mercy and compassion for all 
poor sinners. 

W^ORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with de- 
lights, leaning upon her beloved ?" Canticles, viii. 

" They that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength ; they 
shall take wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; 
they shall v/alk, and Yiot faint." Isaias, xl. 

•• When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are 
all they that trust in him." Psalm ii. 

" Charge the rich of this world, not to be high-minded, nor to 
hope in uncertain riches, but in the living God (w^ho giveth us 
abundantly all things to enjoy.") 1 Timothy, vi. 



SIXTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST 403 

SIXTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE DRYNESS AND ARIDITY OF THE DESERT. 

1st Point. I believe that which I see, hope for what I can do, 
and love whatever pleases me most, I believe in the midst of 
light ; I hope amidst strength ; I love when consolations abound. 
Behold the life of the senses. 

I believe that which I do not see; hope for what I cannot ac- 
quire ; love those things that are displeasing and opposed to na- 
ture. I believe in darkness, I hope in weakness, and love in 
grief Behold the life of the spirit. 

2d Point. There is a time to speak, and a time for silence ; a 
time to laugh, and a time to weep ; a time for summer, and a 
time for winter ; a time for peace, and a time for war ; a time for 
consolation, and a time for desolation. 

3d Point. Winter is as necessary to the earth as summer ; 
night as day ; and rain as sunshine. The soul delights in conso- 
lation, but deserves it not, unless it is proved by temptation. It 
is in the gloom that faith shines with lustre ; it is in desolation 
that the soul's trust in God is tested, and in affliction that its love 
is made known. 

Oh my God, I fear that my love is natural and sensual ; it is 
impure and interested. I do not adore Thee in spirit, since I seek 
only the gratification of my senses ; I have not led a supernatural 
life, since I have not triumphed over my natural inclinations ; I 
have not, to the present- time, merited any thing, since I have 
neither done nor suffered any thing contrary to my own will. 

Oh happy state, wherein the soul contemplates God ; hopes in, 
loves Him, and works for him independent of the senses. It is, 
in a manner, beholding Him without species; being united to 
Him without reserve, and subsisting in Him ; it is to lead a su- 
pernatural life ; it is the life and reign of Jesus Christ in the soul. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert, as 
to fill so great a multitude f St. Malt xv. 

" For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ; but justice 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Romans., xiv. 

" They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if 
they are not filled." Psalm Iviii. 



404 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS, 

" But I tell you the truth : it is expedient for you that I go : 
for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you : but if I go, I 
will send him to you." St. John^ xvi. 

" God is a Spirit; and they that adore Him, must adore Him 
in spirit and in truth." St, John^ iv. 



SIXTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE CARE OF OUR SALVATION. * 

1st Point. The multitude who followed Jesus into the desert, 
leaving behind them all earthly interests and cares, preferred the 
way of salvation to all temporal advantages. 

Consider the following truths, and apply them to your own 
conscience : 

My salvation is my affiur alone, and ought to be the greatest 
and only concern of my life. Since it is my own affair, I ought 
to labor unceasingly for it; since it is my only affiiir, I ought to 
work only to secure it ; shice it is the most important of all af- 
fairs, I ought to apply to its accomplishment all the energies of 
my mind, heart, and soul. 

2d Point. God has thought from all eternity of this affair ; it 
has occupied his mind from the beginning. His divine Son camo 
into the world f )r this affair ; all the time He was on earth. He 
worked for this affair ; He died on the cross to consummate this 
afEiir. Our good angels occupy themselves exclusively with this 
affair. All the universe lives and moves to accomplish this 
affair. 

3d Point. All my happiness depends on this afRiir. All of 
time and eternity revolve* on this affair. All the spirits of hell 
labor for the ruin of this affair. I cannot succeed in this affair 
without a careful perseverance therein. When death comes, I 
can no longer attend to this affair. Am I, then, without sense 
or judgment, if I devote my thoughts and time to any other 
affair? 

Notwithstanding all this, I neglect it. I think of every thing 
but saving my soul. I disturb myself about every thing except 
my salvation. Oh, I wish, henceforth, to think only of this affaii ; 
labor all the remainder of my days for this affair ; and leave all 
to attend to this affair. 



SIXTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 405 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But one thing is necessary." St. Luke, x. 

" For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and 
lose his own soul." St. Matt. xvi. 

" What shall a man give in exchange for his soul V Ibid. 

'' But be thou vigilant : labor in all things," 2 Timothy, iv. 

" Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God, and contain thyself." 
Ecclesiasticus^ xxx. 



SIXTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Ipt^itatloit. 

ON THE EXCELLENCE OF ABANDONING ONe's SELF TO THE GUID- 
ANCE OF GOD. 

1st Point. Happy is he who places his trust in God, and 
abandons himself to his divine providence ; allows himself to be 
conducted by his wisdom, and confides in his infinite goodness. 
Nothing can harm him, because he is under the protection of an 
all-pow^erful God ; nothing can shake him, because he leans on 
immovable strength ; and nothing is capable of opposing his de- 
sire,s, because he wishes only for w^hat God desires for him. All 
happens according to his will, because the will of God is his. 

2d Point. Such a one is secure amidst tempests, tranquil un- 
der persecution, works without weariness, is vigilant without sad- 
ness, and does every thing without inquietude, because God is his 
pilot, his Father, and his shepherd, his protection and defence, his 
fortress and refuge. He leans on his arm and reposes under the 
shadow of his providence. His only care is to please Him, and 
he thinks only how he may satisfy Him. 

3d Point. God never abandons a soul which abandons itself to 
Him. He holds it in especial remembrance ; it is dearer to Him 
than the rest of his creatures ; He watches when it sleeps ; works 
when it rests ; conducts it with his owm right hand ; bears it 
up in its weakness ; attends to its prayers, anticipates its desires, 
and causes all its enterprises to succeed ; provides for its every 
need, and soothes its every pang. 

My daughter, said Jesus to a h(>ly soul: Think of me, and I 
will think of thee; do my w411, and I will do thine; make my in- 
terests thine, and I will adopt thine as my own; give thyself no 



406 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

trouble, and desire nothing; give me thy heart, and I will give 
Thee mine. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"The lip of truth shall be steadfast forever." Proverbs^ xii. 

'' Whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him 
sad." Ibid, 

" He is near that justifieth me : who will contend with me ?" 
Isaias^ 1. 

" Behold the Lord God is my helper : who is he that shall con- 
demn me?" Ibid, 

" To Thee is the poor man left : Thou will be a helper to the 
orphan." Psalm ix. 

" For I know whom I have believed : and I am certain that He 
is able to keep that which 1 have committed to Him against that 
day." 2 Timothij, i. 



SIXTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE STATE OF A SOUL THAT ABANDONS ITSELF TO GOD. 

1st Point. I do not know whether I shall be lost or saved ; I 
do not know whether 1 do good or evil ; I do not know whether I 
advance or retrograde. I do not know what to say ; I know Dot 
what to think ; but in the consolation of my heart, and in the 
silence of my lips I hold counsel with my soul, and cry incessant- 
ly to God : 1 desire only Thee ; I abandon myself to Thee, O 
Lord! 

2d Point. My friends betray me, my enemies persecute me. 
They have stripped me of my goods ; they have calumniated and 
blackened my character. I am consumed with grief, misery, and 
poverty ; I seek a friend to console me, but find none ; I have lost 
all relish for devotion ; I find no consolation in my griefs ; I have 
no strength in the hour of temptation, no light to disperse my 
doubts, no support in my weakness, no courage in my labors. I 
know not what to do, or what to perform. All that I can do in 
my afHiction is to say : O my God, I desire only Thee ; O my 
God, I abandon myself to Thee. 

3d Point. Am I in a state of grace or a state of sin ? am I 
worthy of hatred ? am I worthy of love ? Shall I go hence in 
peace ^ shall I depart without hope ? shall I go to heaven? shall I 
be thrust into hell? All this is uncertain ; but it shall not move 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 407 

or disturb me, for I will place all my trust in God ; I will confide 
in his mercy, lean on the merits of his Son and not on mine ; [ 
^vill commend my spirit into his hands ; 1 will leave to Him the 
care of my salvation and my eternity ; and still say to Him with 
filial confidence : My God, 1 desire only Thee ; my God, 1 aban 
don myself to Thee. 

4th Point. I may live, I may die; I may die soon, or have 
length of days; I may have health, I may have sickness; may be 
rich, may be poor; may find much consolation, may find only 
ailliction ; may be esteemed, may be despised ; may be sought 
after, may be abandoned ; may be at peace, or may be obliged to 
contend. But all this is indifferent to me; thy pleasure, my God, 
shall be mine ; thy will shall be my pleasure. All my darkness 
will be dispersed, all my fears vanish, all my passions calmed and 
appeased, when I say to Thee with my whole heart : My God, I 
desire only Thee ; 1 abandon myself to Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Into thy hands I commend my spirit : Thou hast redeemed 
me, O Lord, the God oitruth." Psalm xxx. 

'• In peace, in the self-same, I will sleep, and I will rest : foi 
Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.*' Psalm iv. 

" I sought the Lord, and He heard me ; and He deli^^ered m^ 
from all my troubles." Psalm xxxiii. 

" I have become as a vessel that is destroyed." Psalm xxx. 

"I will not leave Thee, neither will I forsake Thee." IIo 
hrews^ xiii. 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Matt vii. 15-21. 

" At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : Beware of false 
prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly 
they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. 
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? Even so 
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bring- 
eth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, 
neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that 
bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast 
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know" them. 
Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom 



408 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of heaven ; but he that doeth the Avill of my Father who is in heav 
en, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. " Beware of false prophets^ The world is full of 
them. Teachers of false doctrine and hypocrites are the most 
dangerous. They appear like sheep, but inwardly they are raven- 
ing wolves. All heretics who have appeared in the Church have 
worn a mask of reform, piety, and austerity. Error and vice do 
not reveal themselves. Error wraps itself in- the mantle of truth, 
and vice clothes itself in the ^arb of piety. Do not be astonished 
at these plausible and fair appearances, all this glitter of reform 
and of sanctity ; for, as says St. Paul, Satan can transform him- 
self into an angel of light. How, then, shall I know the enemy of 
souls ? The grace of God within you, the pastors of the Church, 
the voice of your superiors, and the evil doings of these false 
prophets, will reveal him to you. 

2d Point. True prophets derive their iftission from God ; those 
who are false come of themselves. They preach and teach with- 
out a divine authority. '' TA^y," says St. Paul, '"creep into houses^ 
and lead captives silly women loaden with sins^ who are led away 
toith divers desires: always learning and never .attaining to the 
knowledge of the truth : having an appearance of piety ^ hut deny- 
ing the power thereof : lovers of themselves ; covetous^ haughty^ 
proud^ blasphemers^ ungrateful^ wicked ; without affection^ without 
peace ; slanderers^ incontinent^ unmerciful^ without kindness^ trait- 
ors^ stubborn^ puffed up^ and lovers of pleasure more than GodP 
Beware of these false teachers. Attach yourself to the guidance 
of the Church, and follow the way marked out by those who gov- 
ern it, and you will never wander astray. 

3d Point. Notwithstanding the care taken by these false teach- 
ers to disguise themselves, their doctrines and manners betray 
them. Their doctrine is always new, and consequently false ; 
their manners and lives are apparently w^ell regulated, but their 
virtue is all dissimulation and hypocrisy. The foundation of all 
virtue is humility, and they possess it not ; they are proud, blind, 
and self-opinionated ; they despise all who do not become slaves 
to their opinions ; they never wish to renounce the evidence of 
their senses or their judgment, or yield obedience to the dogmas 
and precepts of the Church. Be humble and obedient; avoid 
singularity and novelties, and you will never fall into error. 



SEVENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 409 

4th Point. There are two false prophets who often deceive 
you : self-love and self-will. These will inspire you with senti- 
ments contrary to the guidance of God, under pretext of greater 
protection. Know them by their effects : false inspirations dis- 
turb and grieve the heart and soul ; they love novelty and sin- 
gularity ; they render the soul haughty, proud, and subservient to 
the senses ; they beguile it from the order of obedience, and give 
it a contempt for superiors. 

Divine inspirations enter the soul sweetly and produce peace 
therein, also union, humility, sweetness, and obedience. The 
signs of these are, to be willing to do or not to do according to 
the divine will, to gain or lose, obtain our desires or be frustrated 
iu them, as God permits. O my God, defend me from these 
false prophets, who come under the appearances of sanctity and 
perfection, and who wish to lead me astray from the guidance of 
my superiors."^ 



SEVENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON' THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. "^ good tree hringeth forth good fruits^ and an 
evil tree hringeth forth evil fruitsy Oh, how excellent and life- 
giving is the tree of the holy sacrament of the altar ! We are the 
evil trees, which produce only fruits of iniquity. When we are 
grafted v;ith the communion of the fair tree of life, when we have 
planted it in the midst of our hearts, it produces good fruits, AV^r- 
thy of eternal life. Oh, if we would communicate more frequent- 
ly, we should not be subject to so many vices as we are ! Oh, if 
we wx)uld communicate more frequently, we would soon perceive 
a change in our lives ! 

2d Point. A tree, to bring forth good fruits, ought to be deep- 
ly rooted in good earth, near a stream of water; a soul, to bring 
forth the fruits of life, ought to be deeply rooted and grounded in 
humility ; it ought to maintain itself in good resolutions, to enable 
it 'to resist the winds and tempests. It ought to avoid all prox- 
imate occasions of sin, bathe often in the sacred waters of penance, 
and draw on itself, like the refreshiug dews of morning, the grace 
and benediction of God. 

3d Pjint. " The tree that hringeth not forth good fruit shall he 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation, 

18 



410 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

cut down, and shall be cast into the fire^ Oh, terrible sentence ! 
It is not enough to bring forth fruit; but we must bring forth 
good fruits, healthy, ripe, and worthy of God. What are the 
fruits of your life? what good works have you wrought? in what 
manner and with what fervor have you acquitted yourself of your 
duties'? "-^ Behold^'' saith our Lord, " ^Aesg three years I come ^ 
seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none^ Cut it down, there- 
fore ; ivhy cumber eth it the ground P Learn that this same sen- 
tence may be pronounced on you, if you do not change your life, 
and do more good than you have done heretofore. 

O God of my soul, I confess that I have too long abused thy 
graces, and that I deserve to be cut off from the body of thy 
Church, the number of the living, and to be forever cast into the 
flames of hell. But I implore Thee to wait a little longer. ] 
will begin forthwith to work for my salvation, and repair the 
time I have lost by works of sincere repentance. Only give thy 
blessing to this tree, which has hitherto been so barren, and Thou 
shalt see it loaded with blossoms and fruit. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming 
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan 
himself transformeth himself into an angel of light." 2 Cor, xi. 

"Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, 
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and wicked, with- 
out affection, without peace; slanderous, incontinent, unmerciful, 
without kindness, traitors, stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of 
pleasure, more than of God : having an appearance of piety, but 
defying the power thereof For of this sort are they who creep 
into houses, and lead captive silly women loaded with sins, who 
are led away by divers desires : ever learning, and never attain- 
ing to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy, iii. 

"- Thus saith the Lord of hosts : Hearken not to the words of 
the prophets tliat prophesy to you, and deceive you : they speak 
a vision of their ow^n heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord." 
Jeremias, xxiii. 

" If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive 
him not into the house, nor say to him God speed thee. For he 
that say eth to him, God speed thee, communicateth with his wick- 
ed works." 2 John, i. 

'' For now the axe is laid to the foot of the trees. Every tree, 
therefore, that doth not yield good fruit, shall be cut down and 
cast into the fire." St, Matt, iii. 



SEVENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 411 

SEVENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS. 

1st Point. What is a Christian without good works? A tree 
without fruit, which shall soon be cut down and cast into the fire ; 
a lamp without oil, which shall soon be extinguished ; earth which 
brings forth nothing, and which is cursed by Him who has tried in 
vain to make it fruitful. His faith is sterile, he is sick or, rather, 
dead. He who does nothing, believes nothing ; he who believes, 
and lives not according to his belief, shall be judged and con- 
demned by his own acts. 

2d Point. The more light you have received, the more guilty 
you are if you have not followed it. Much shall be demanded of 
him who has received much. Sterility in a Christian is iniquity. 
Did not Jesus Christ condemn the barren fig-tree to the flames ? 
Did He take not- away the talent from him who had buried it, 
and reward him who had profited by his ? 

3d Point. Faith saves or damns us, makes us better or worse. 
Bt-lieving good and doing evil, is to be condemned before we are 
judged. He who does not practise what he believes, ere long 
ceases to believe in that which he does not do. Faith does not 
long survive the death of charity. The heart debauches the spirit ; 
love corrupts judgment ; passion blinds judgment. One judges 
according to his love, and is easily persuaded that what he loves 
is good, what he does not love is bad, what ho loves is true, and 
what he does not love is folse. 

4th Point. Do you not wish to lose faith? preserve charity. 
Do you wish for living faith ? have an ardent charity. Do 
you desire to believe that which you do not see ? do that which 
does not please nature. Do you wish to know the truth? let 
your actions be governed by charity. AYe only know that we 
live, by the movements of our body : a body no longer lives when 
it can no longer act. Your faith is dead if it does not act. Your 
charity is without life if it is without motion. 

Christian soul 1 perform good works ; let them be abundant, 
and done in a state of grace. Do them for a good end ; do them 
promptly, ^vithout luke^varmness or indifference. Do as much 
good as you have done evil. Do all that you can, and feel that 
you have done but little. " Work vjhile it is day^ for soon the night 
Cometh, when no man shall workP 



412 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



WORDS 01* SCRIPTURE. 



" Behold, I come quickly ; and my reward is with me, to ren- 
der to every man according to his works." Apocalypse^ xxii. 

" Do you see that by works a man is justified ; and not by 
faith only V St, James, ii. 

" For as the body without the spirit is dead ; so also faith 
without works is dead." Ibid, 

" Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen : and do 
penance, and do thy first works. Or else I come to thee, and will 
move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou do penance." 
Apocalypse^ ii. 



SEVENTH WEDNESDAY AETER PENTECOST. 

ON THE NECESSITY OF ALL OUR ACTIONS BEING GOOD. 

1st Point. Our works are our fruits; but it is necessary that 
they should be good, and worthy of God. It is not enough to 
perform good actions, but it is essential to do them well. It is 
necessary to engage in them with all your mind and heart. 

2d Point. Whatever you do, keep these thoughts in view. 
God desires to be honored by me through this action ; his eye is 
on me while I am engaged in this action ; He has attached a par- 
ticular grace to this action ; He tests the sincerity of my love by 
this action. 

By this action I can render Him service for all the good He has 
done me. His wisdom has regulated this action from all eternity ; 
his infinite greatness elevates this action ; his adorable sanctity 
consecrates this action ; his sovereign will commands this action ; 
his love blesses and desires this action. 

My peace depends on this action ; my merit is involved in this 
action ; my perfection is connected with this action ; I shall offend 
God if I am wanting in this action ; my salvation, perhaps, depends 
on this action ; 1 must, then, apply myself diligently to do this 
action well. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, 
that it may be well with thee." Deuteronomy^ vi. 

" Give to the Most High according to what He hath given to 



SEVENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 413 

thee: and with, a good eye do according to the ability of thy 
hands." Ecclesiasticys^ xxxv. 

" Cursed be he that doeth the \York of the Lord deceitfully." 
Jeremias^ xlviii. 

"He hath done all things well." St, Marlc^ vii. 

" For the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often 
upon it, and bringeth forth herbs useful for them by whom it is 
tilled, receiveth blessings ft-om God. But that which bringeth 
forth thorns and briars is rejected, and very near to a curse, whose 
end is to be burnt." Hehreivs^ vi. 

" Therefore, while we have time, let us do good to all men." 
Galatians^ vi. 



SEVENTH THUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

MOTIVES OF FEAR. 

1st Point. Enter into yourself; examine your life; contem- 
plate your sins, your ingratitude, your infidelities, and withdraw 
yourself from this state of lukewarmness, into which you are 
plunged, and propose to yourself these motives of fear and penance. 

Consider the iufinite majesty of God, which never ought to be 
offended. When the world, by its offences, had kindled his wrath, 
He was appeased only by the death of his divine Son, and, not- 
withstanding, you offend Him so often, so cruelly, and without 
cause. 

2d Point. Consider his rigorous justice, which punishes mortal 
sin by eternal death, and venial sin by temporal death. Remem- 
ber how He chastised your sins in the person of his divine Son, 
in. a manner so terrible that his justice was not satisfied until, tor- 
tured by the most mconceivable suffering, He yielded up his life 
on the cross. 

3d Point. Consider the hatred of God towards the lukewarm, 
who weigh on his heart, and whom he is obliged to vomit forth ; 
for the ungrateful, whom He ieprives of his graces and allows to 
die in impenitence ; for the haughty, whom He huiiftiliates in time 
and in eternity ; for the impenitent, whom He renders deaf to his 
word, and to whose hearts He speaks no more ; for the presump- 
tuous, who indulge in venial sins until He allows them to fall into 
mortal. 

4th Point. Consider the time which has passed, never to re- 



414 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

turn ; the graces of which yon have made such a*bad use, and for 
which you Avill have to render an account; death, which ap- 
proaches ; judgment, which advances, and eternity, of which you 
will soon see the beginning, but never the end. 

Oh death ! oh judgment ! oh eternity ! my bones shake with 
fear when I think of them. Oh my God, the thunders of thy 
justice reverberate through my soul. I acknowledge my guilt be- 
fore Thee and determine to do penance. Do it at once, and begin 
a new life. 

^ WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"And fear not those that kill the body, and cannot kill the 
soul ; but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body." 
St. Matt. X. 

" If then I be a Father, where is my honor 1 and if I be a mas- 
ter, where is my fear] saith the Lord of hosts." Malachias^ i. 

" Blessed is the man, to whom it is given to have the fear of 
the Lord." Eccles, xxv. 

" The fear of God is the beginning of his love." Ihid, 

•• They that fear the Lord, will seek after the things that are 
well-pleasing to Him, and they that love Him, shall be filled with 
his law." Eccles. ii. 

" Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Philip^ 
pians^ ii. 



SEVENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE RECOLLECTION NECESSARY TO THE PERFORMANCE OF GOOD 

ACTIONS. 

1st Point. Before entering on a good work examine your mo- 
tives, calm your heart, fix your intention, do nothing through 
passion, and avoid sadness, trouble and precipitation. After it is 
accomplished, pause for a little w^hile, before executing another. 
Consider from whence you came and whither you are going ; if 
what you have already done is good, and if there is nothing 
wanting to perfect it ; thank God for the good and ask pardon for 
the bad ; offer Him all your succeeding actions ; renew your in- 
tention, ask his benediction, and place yourself in his hands, to 
await the movement of his spirit. 

These reflections on what you have said and done will bring 
forth much fruit ; they will reveal to the soul all its faults and 



SEVENTH FRIDAY AFtIr PENTECOST. 415 

imperfections, make it kno^Y its frailty and malice, give it a con- 
tempt for itself, establish it in humility by giving it a knowledge 
of its defects, and show it the abyss of its misery. They prepare 
it for the nightly exam en of conscience, and often produce acts of 
contrition ; they will render it vigilant and faithful, and often 
draw on it new graces ; they inspire it with fervor, correct evil as 
soon as it is done, and prevent it from taking root in the heart. 

2d Point. This entering into ourselves keeps us recollected in 
the presence of God, a forgetfulness of which is the source of all 
sin. It is a curb to the will, whose inclinations seek only to aban- 
don themselves to its desires. It regulates the impulses of the 
heart, which only desires to do what is pleasing to nature ; it ele- 
vates corrupt nature, which only seeks its own abasement ; it 
steadies the fickle spirit ; it keeps us on our guard, and makes us 
discern between the movements of nature and grace ; it procures 
for the soul supernatural and divine prudence ; it discovers to us 
the approach of our enemies, which are the world, the flesh and, 
the devil. 

3d Point. This continued recollection of spirit, purges the soul 
of its past sins, and is a preservative against them in future. It 
causes it to practise the acts of all the virtues ; it disposes it to 
union by the purity of its life ; it makes it enter often within it- 
self, and prevents it from wandering astray; it keeps the con- 
science pure, tranquil, and contented ; it prevents it from being 
surprised by death. This recollection honors God, edifies our 
neighbor, is a terror to devils, a joy to the angels, and renders 
man in a manner happy on earth, because he dvv'ells continually in 
the presence of God. 

Is this your practice ? is it thus you labor ? are you not hasty 
in your actions ? are you not too dilatory in your designs 1 are 
you not too often occupied with thoughts of yourself? do you go 
stumbling along, not knowing whither you go ? do you not too 
often pause to look behind you, instead of pursuing an onward and 
upward course ? how long has it been since you entered into your- 
self ? Is it possible that you do not think of God and work for 
him? We should fear and shun extremes. Discover your de- 
fects, and correct them without delay. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Dearly beloved, if our heart do not reprehend us, God is 
greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." 1 John^ iii. 

"I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before Thee." 
Psalm 1. 



416 DEVOITT MEDITATIONS. 

"And I meditated in the night with my whole heart; and I was 
exercised, ani I swept my spirit." Psalm Ixxvi. 

" But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." 
1 Corinthians^ xi. . 

" I attended and hearkened : no man speaketh what is good ; 
there is none that doeth penance for his sins saying : What have 
I done ?" Jeremias^ viii. 

" I know what I will do." St, Luke, xvi. 



SEVENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 

1st Point. " Not every one that saith Lord, Lord^ shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father 
who is in heaven^ he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.'^'' 

I am in this world only to do the holy will of God, and I de- 
serve to be hurried out again as soon as I cease to do it. I shall 
never arrive at perfection, and never know either peace or rest, if 1 
do not that which God desires of me. It is necessary that I should 
obey Him. If I do not belong to the order of his goodness, it 
follows that I must belong to that of his justice; if I do not sub- 
mit to his blessed will, I must fall under his powerful will ; if I 
do not desire to yield to the attraction of his love, it is necessary 
that I should feel the effects of his anger and justice. 

2d Point. Oh, what happiness, not to have any other rule of 
judgment than the judgment of God, no rule of the will but the 
will of God ! I shall partake in a manner of the wisdom, justice, 
holiness, peace, and happiness of God, if his will in all things is 
mine, and my will in all things corresponds with his own. 

3d Point. Alas ! have I been so miserable as to wage war 
against God ? All have opposed my will when I have contended 
with his ; all my inferiors revolted against me when I have re- 
fused obedience to my superiors. Can a limb be dislocated with- 
out pain ? Who can be at rest, or know peace, while they are en- 
gaged in a warfare with God ? , 

O my God, my Creator, do not abandon me to my badly regu- 
lated passions ; do not permit me to offend Thee or stray from 
thy guidance; overcome, and destroy my will lest it should tri- 
umph over thine; compel me by thy pov/er if I do not desire to 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 417 

obey Thee ; do thy will with me if 1 will not do thy will ; draw 
me by force, if I become unwilling to follow Thee. 

W^ORDS OF- SCRIPTURE. 

" He will do the will of them that fear Him ; and He will hear 
their prayer and save them." Psalm cxliv. 

" As it shall be the will of God in heaven, so be it done.'* 
1 Machabees^ iii. 

" Not what I will, but what Thou wilt." St. Mark^ xiv. 

" Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ?" Acts^ ix. 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St Luke^ xvL 1-9. 

" At that time Jesus spoke to his disciples this parable : There 
was a certain rich man who had a steward ; and the same was ac- 
cused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called 
him, and said to him : How is it that I hear this of thee ? Give 
an account of thy stewardship : for now thou canst be steward no 
longer. And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, 
because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship ? To dig, 
I am not able; to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will do, 
that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may re- 
ceive me into their houses. Therefore, calling together every one 
of his lord's debtors, he said to the first : How much dost thou 
owe my lord ? But he said : A hundred barrels of oil. And 
he said to him : Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write 
fifty. Then he said to another : And how much dost thou owe ? 
who said : A hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him : Take 
thy bill, and write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust 
steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely : for the children of 
this world are wiser in their generation, than the children of light. 
And I say to you : Make unto you friends of the Mammon of ini- 
quity, that when 340U shall fail, they may receive you into ever- 
lasting dwellings." 



PtMtatj0it. 



ON THE GOSPEL. 



1st Point. We are all the stewards of Jesus Christ our Saviour, 
who being infinitely rich, made himself poor for the love of us. 
18* 



418 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

It is from Him that we have received every gift of body and soul, 
of nature and grace. It is that we may make a good use of it, 
that He has given us knowledge to praise and to glorify Him, to 
love Him, and induce others by our precept and example to love 
Him ; and to assist our neighbor in his corporal and spiritual ne- 
cessities, by sharing with him our goods and possessions. 

2d Point. Remember that it is our Lord from whom you have 
received all that you possess. Examine yourself, and see what 
use you have made of it up to the present time. You will have 
to render an account of all that you have received. Much is de- 
manded of him, to whom much is given. How have you em- 
ployed your understanding, memory, and will, and for whom ? 
What use have you made of the senses of your body, your goods 
and fortune, your influence, power, and authority, and, above all,- 
of the treasures of grace with which you have been enriched since 
you came into the world 1 How much have you profited by so 
many inspirations, sermons, meditations, so many confessions and 
communions ? One good communion would suffice to make a 
saint. How many have you made ? Are you any better ? Have 
you corrected one defect '^ Have you acquired one virtue? What 
account will you render ? Oh Lord, enter not into judgment with 
thy poor servant, for none can justify him if Thou dost search 
him : none save him if Thou dost condemn him. 

3d Point. God calls us at all times and seasons to demand uf 
us an account of our administration of his goods, by the interior 
reproaches of our conscience ; by his voices, which He makes 
heard in the depths of our soul ; by confessors and preachers ; by 
angels and men, who accuse us, and represent to our Lord how 
we waste his goods. Oh ! there are innumerable witnesses who 
will testify against us. But it is chiefly at the hour of death that 
we shall hear that terrible voice demanding us to " Render an 
account of our stewardship^ This account must be general, exact, 
just, and without reserve. Nothing can escape the knowledge of 
God. It will be necessary to give Him an account of every idle 
word. Oh, great God ! how shall I account for so many impure, 
false, deceitful, angry, and impious words ]* 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



EIGHTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 419 



EIGHTH MONDAY AiTER PENTECOST. 

PjiJitatiffn. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. ''What shall I doP said the steward in the gospel. 
Alas ! are there any who enter into themselves and ask, '' Wliat 
shall I do?'''' What will you do when you are obliged to appear 
before the tribunal of God ? are your accounts readv ? have vou 
put your affairs in order ? are you in a state to appear before the 
divine tribunal ? for what are you waiting ? will there be time to 
set your affairs in order when you are called to render an account 
of them? who can command sufficient time, memory, strength, 
and application at the hour of death to arrange an affair of such 
importance? are you sure that you will have time, and not be 
surprised ? O what will you do ? Do from this moment all the 
good that lies in your power. 

2d Point. '"''Make to yourselves friends of the maiiwion of ini- 
quity P'' Our Lord calls them thus, because riches are generally 
the fruits of much iniquity and injustice, or because, being the 
cause of many sins, they render those who possess them proud, 
arrogant, haughty, disdainful, impious, inhuman, dishonest, sensual, 
and immodest. But when they are given to the poor, they pro- 
duce fruits of sanctity which console the giver at the hour of 
death, and procure for him admission into everlasting habitations. 

3d Point. You will want all that you can gain to support you 
at the hour of death. The world will recede from vou. Your 
best friends will abandon you, or, if they remain by you, cannot 
assist you ; neither can they prepare your account, or answer for 
you, because every man must answer for himself, and be judged 
according to his works. Oh, terrible sentence to a soul who has 
abused the gifts of God : " Depart from thy body, oh unfaithful 
soul, and render unto me an account of my goods which you have 
wasted !" There is nothing, then, that can serve us in that awful 
hour except our good works and the fidelity with which we have 
acquitted ourselves of our duties, of the exercise of corporal and 
spiritual charities, the mercy that we have shown, and the evils 
that we have suffered with patience. Do good, then, suffer evil 
whenever an opportunity presents itself, and exercise yourself in 
all patience while you have time. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The night cometh, when no man can work." St. John^ ix. 



420 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

"For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, 
that every one may receive the proper things of the body accord- 
ing as he hath done it, whether it be good or evil." 2 Gk>rin- 
thians^ V. 

" For those that will become rich fall into temptation, and into 
the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful 
desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 
Timothy^ vi. 

" Charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded, nor to 
trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God ; to do 
good, to be rich in good works, to give easily, to communicate to 
others, to lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against 
the time to come, that they may lay hold on true life." Ibid, 



EIGHTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON SLANDER. 



1st Point. A word is soon spoken, but cannot be soon repaired ; 
it passes lightly, but wounds cruelly ; it pierces the heart of God, 
who defends the slandered ; it pierces the heart of the person 
slandered ; it will pierce the heart of the accomplice of the slan- 
derer; it will pierce the heart of the author of the slander. 

2d Point. The tongue of the slanderer is a venomous viper, 
which instils its poison into the heart and mind, and poisons while 
it wounds ; it is a two-edged sword, which divides the members 
of the mystical body of Jesus ; a lance which penetrates the 
heart ; a thief who steals the most precious of one's treasures ; a 
murderer who will attack the most pure and noble lives ! Can 
one who does not restore stolen goods, obtain pardon for his sins] 
Ah,* by what means can reputation, once destroyed, be repaired 1 
Can a severe wound be closed without leaving a scar 1 It is, then, 
an incurable wound and an evil that is almost without a remedy. 

3d Point. Oh my God, behold me, a thief and a murderer ! I 
know that I have injured and destroyed the reputation of many, 
but I know not whether I have made sufficient reparation for the 
same. My tongue has, a thousand times, pronounced on me the 
sentence of death, since by my words I shall be justified or con- 
demned. 

Fly from the company of slanderers ; Satan is in their mouths 



EIGHTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 421 

when they speak to yoii, and in your ears when you listen to 
them. Repair the injuries you have done to others ; remember 
that often the truth which is not charity, proceeds from a charity 
which is not true. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• The man that, in private, detracted his neighbor, him did I 
persecute." Psalm c. 

" Detract not one another, brethren. He that detracteth his 
brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and 
judgeth the law." St, James^ iv. 

" He that hath no guard on his speech shall meet with evils." 
Proverbs^ xiii. 

" And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity." St, James^ iii. 

" For by thy words shalt thou be justified ; and by thy words 
thou shalt be condemned." St, Matt. xii. 



EIGHTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE ACCOUNT THAT WE MUST RENDER TO GOD AT THE LAST DAY. 

1st Point. There is an eye that beholds all, an ear that hears 
all, and^ a hand that writes all. The eye that sees all is itself un- 
seen ; the ear that hears all is concealed, and the hand that records 
all is hidden from our sight. I am seen by one whom I cannot 
see ; I am heard and hear not ; I know not and am known. Oh, 
my God, Thou seest strange and evil things in my heart ; Thou 
hearest wicked and detestable things from my lips ; Thou dost 
record strange and horrible things in the history of my life. 

2d Point. Nothing is lost ; nothing passes into oblivion ; all 
goes from time to eternity ; that which has passed will return ; 
that which' we believe to be lost and forgotten will return ; that 
which we have buried in forgetfulness and darkness, will reappear 
before the eyes of all the world. The sinner will die, but his sin 
will live forever ; it will last during eternity. That which passes 
in time, passes not with time. A sin is soon committed, and if it 
is not efiaced by penance an eternity cannot blot it out. 

3d Point. All shall be examined without exception ; all shall 
be judged without distinction of persons ; all the wicked shall be 
condemned without grace, and be punished without remission. 
Unhappy I, when God shall judge me, and reveal all my crimes ! 



422 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Unhappy I, when the book of my conscience is opened, and the 
abominable history of my life is exposed to every eye ! Unhappy 
I, when my Judge shall call me before his tribunal, and say to an 
assembled world : " Behold the man and his works ! Behold the 
good 1 have done him, and the evil he has done me !* 



EIGHTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE THINGS OF WHICH IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO RENDER 

AN ACCOUNT. 

1st Point. We shall be obliged to render an account of the 
good we have done, the good we have received, of the good we 
have omitted, and of the good we have refused to do. Of the evil 
we have committed ; of the evil we have caused others to do ; of 
the evil we have approved of; of the evil we have not prevented ; 
of the evil in which we have been an accomplice ; of which we 
have been the cause, either by counsel, command, consent, insinu- 
ation, approbation, negligence, aid, example, or scandal. You will 
be as often damned as you shall have caused the damnation of 
souls. You will be as often crowned in heaven as you shall have 
saved souls. 

2d Point. '^Come^ all ye Messed of my Father^ inherit the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the worlds Oh, 
words full of joy and consolation ! ^^ Depart from me^ ye accursed^ 
into everlasting flre^ prepared for the devil and his angels^ Oh, 
words full of terror and despair ! Where shall I hide when I am 
called ? What will become of me when I am questioned ? What 
will become of me when I shall be judged ? Where shall I fly for 
refuge when I am condemned ? What shall I do when my sentence 
is carried into effect, and my soul is plunged into hell 1 What 
shall I wish to have done when I am tormented among the damned 
forever 1 

3d Point. Oh, formidable day ! Oh, terrible judgment ! My 
God, what shall be my end ? shall I be saved % shall 1 be damned ? 
shall I be of the number of the predestined? shall I be of the 
number of the lost? All is uncertain. If I am one of the sheep 
of Jesus Christ, I shall be saved ; if not, I shall be numbered with 
the goats, and lost. Your sentence is written on your tongue ; 
you shall be justified or condemned by your words. Accuse 

* Words of Scripture at the end of following Meditation. 



EIGHTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 423 

yourself during life, and after death y )u shall be excused ; con- 
demn yourself, and God will defend and deliver you; forgive, 
and you shall be forgiven ; show mercy to others, and it shall be 
shown to you. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"For w^e shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." 
Romans^ xiv. 

" For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ ; 
that every one may receive the proper things of the body, ac- 
cording as he hath done, w^hether it be good or evil." 2 Corin- 
thians, V. 

" All mercy shall make place for every man, according to the 
merit of his works, and according to the wisdom o-f his sojourn- 
ment." Ecclesiasticus^ xvi. 

" And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where will the 
wicked and the sinner appear ?" 1 Peter^ iv. 



EIGHTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE RICHES OF GOD. 

1st Point. God is sufficient for himself; He has no need of us. 
God is sufficient for his creatures ; they need only Him. God is 
every thing to all conditions of men ; He is light to the blind, 
health to the sick, consolation to the afflicted, strength to the weak, 
salvation to sinners, life to the dead, and peace to the living. 

Oh sw^eet words : ''''My God and my allP'' Oh they are full of 
hope and joy to a soul to whom God is all, and to w^hich all that 
is not of God is nothing. 

2d Point. Oh, my God and my all ! I seek, think, and reason, 
and find all in these words : ^''My God and my all V All that I read 
or hear occupies my mind, but does not fill my heart ; I find every- 
w^ here emptiness and poverty. It is only in Thee, my God, that 
I find the fulness of all that I desire. These few words are sweeter 
than honey to my lip, and a source of living w^ater to my heart. 
It is this water that quenches my thirst, and extinguishes the fires 
of concupiscence that would otherwise consume me. 

Having Thee, w^hat is there worth sighing after? What can 
content or satisfy me, if not thyself? My soul, what is sufficient 
for you if God is not ? What can you seek for in creatures that 



424 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

you do not find in God ? and what have you found in God that 
you can expect to find in creatures ? Oh, my God and my all ! 
Thou shalt be my all in all, and all creatures shall be to me, 
without Thee, as nothing. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I have said to the Lord, Thou art my God, for Thou hast no 
need of my goods." Psalm xv. 

" I will show thee all good." Exodus^ xxxiii. 

" Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who crowneth thee 
with mercy and compassion ; who satisfieth thy desire with good 
things." Psalm cii. 

" For what have I in heaven 1 and besides Thee w^hat do I desire 
on earth ? For Thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away ; 
Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion 
forever." Psalm Ixxii. 



EIGHTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON ALMS. 

^^ Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity ^ 

1st Point. The rich depend on the poor, and the poor on the 
rich. The rich have more need of the poor than the poor have 
of the rich. The rich give corporal aid to the poor, and the poor 
give spiritual aid to the rich. The poor depend on the rich for 
time, the rich depend on the poor for eternity. Without the rich 
the poor w^ould perish corporally ; w^ithout the poor the rich 
would die spiritually. The rich are the judges of the poor on 
earth, the poor will be the judges of the rich in heaven. Why, 
then, do you despise the poor ? Why treat them rudely 1 Why 
not endeavor to gain their favor'? Why not soothe their mis- 
eries 1 

2d Point. Graces and chastisements are in the hands of the 
poor. When they implore mercy for those who assist them, God 
hears and grants their prayer ; when they invoke Iiis justice on 
tliose who turn a deaf ear to their necessities, He hears and punish- 
es. A rich man is in danger of his salvation, if he is without the 
prayers and blessings of the poor. The rich man who has not 
the poor for his advocate, shall not find grace with his Almighty 
Judge. He for whom the poor pleads will be saved. 



EIGHTH SATURDAY JLFTER PENTECOST. 425 

3d Point. Do good, then, to the poor, since they are men like 
yourself, and you are poor like them. Their misery is only cor- 
poral, yours is spiritual : you have more need of them than they^ 
have of vou. Who is this who asks alms of you ? It is Jesus, 
your friend, your God, your Father, and your King ; it is He who 
is in need ; He who begs you to assist Him. Oh happy are the 
rich who can give alms to Jesus ! Oh unhappy are the rich who 
refuse alms to Jesus Christ ! 

4th Point. Fear not poverty, as long as you assist the poor. 
Bread will multiply in your hands, as it did in those of Jesus in 
the desert, if you are charitable. You will want for nothing, if 
you see that the p'.or are provided for. The silver that you give 
them will not be lost, but be as seed planted in fruitful soil, which 
will return a hundred-fold to those who sow therein. Will you 
never trust God? Is your gold insecure in his royal treasury? 
Is there not enough therein to pay and recompense you ? He en- 
gages, by a solemn contract, signed with his own blood, to return 
a hundred-fold that which is given to the poor ; He has consti- 
tuted himself their security, and your debtor ; He promises you 
goods for time and eternity, if you will dispense a portion of 
your possessions among the poor for his sake. W^ill you be 
so ungrateful as to refuse Him ? so distrustful as to ask greater 
security than He otFers ? so unfeeling as not to be touched hy his 
misery ? so unjust as to retain the goods that He bestowed on 
you on condition of your giving a portion of them to the needy ? 
Oh unhappy are the rich who refuse alms to Jesus Christ. When 
death strips them of all, and they are reduced to a state of utter 
poverty, they will beg alms of Him and will not receive ; they 
will ask for mercy and favor, when they are judged, but in vain. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Redeem then thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works 
of mercy to the poor : perhaps He will forgive thy iniquities." 
Daniel, iv. 

'• If one of thy brethren, that dwelleth within the gates of thy 
city in the land which the Lord thyjGod will give thee, come to 
poverty ; thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand, but 
shalt open it to the poor man : thou shalt lend him that which 
thou perceiveth he needeth, lest he cry against thee to the Lord, 
and it become a sin unto thee." Deuteronomy, xv. 

" Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and 
the poor : the Lord will deliver him in the evil day." Psalm xl. 

" Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared 



426 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, 
and you gave me to eat : I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink : 
I w^as a stranger, and you took me in ; naked, and you clothed me ; 
sick, and you visited me ; in prison, and you came to me." >S^/. 
Matt, XXV. 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St, Luke^ xix. 41-47. 

" At that time, when He drew near Jerusalem, seeing the city, 
Ele wept over it, saying : If thou also hadst known, and that in 
this thy day, the things that are to thy peace : but now they are 
hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee : and 
thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee 
round, and straiten thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the 
ground, and thy children who are in thee : and they shall not 
leave in thee a stone upon a stone : because thou hast not know^n 
the time of thy visitation. And, entering into the temple, He 
began to cast out them that sold therein and them that bought, 
saying to them : It is written: My house is the house of prayer. 
But you have made it a den of thieves. And He w^as teaching 
daily in the temple." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus approached Jerusalem in triumph: ^''And 
when He drew near^ seeing the city^ He ivept over ity He foresaw 
all the evils that threatened it, and were coming on it, and, touched 
wdth compassion, He wept. He did not forget its coming sorrows 
amidst his glorious triumphs, nor was He joyful amidst the sol- 
emn pomp thereof He teaches us, by this example, that which 
He has taught us by the mouth of his wisdom, not to forget the 
evil days during the times that are good and joyful ; that it is 
necessary to have always before us thoughts of death and judg- 
ment, the vanity of the world, and the inconstancy of creatures. 
There are tears of compunctfon, tears of compassion, and tears of 
devotion. One weeps with his neighbor in sympathy for his mis- 
eries. Another is filled with the love of God, and weeps be- 
cause he desires to see Him and be w^th Him. Is this the cause 
of your tears? " Women, lohy weep yeV' Oh, if you thought of 
Paradise, if you contemplated the flames of hell, if you had before 
your eyes the evils that you have done, and the wrath with which 



NINTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. A)^! 

you are threatened, you would weep in a different manner from the 
way that you now do. 

2d Point. There is nothing swee.er to an enemy than the grat- 
ification of his revenge. The Jews were the mortal enemies of 
Jesus. He foresaw the chastisements that God his Father would 
inflict on them, for having persecuted Him unto death ; but far 
from rejoicing thereat, He shed tears, and was much afflicted. 
Oh, amiable heart of Jesus ! oh, heart most tender, charitable, 
and merciful ! how is it that thy creatures can so far forget them- 
selves as to wound and afflict Thee ? Take care lest you rejoice 
at the misfortunes of your neighbor. Be careful never to wish 
them evil. They harm themselves more than you. They may be 
your enemies, but they are worthy of compassion, and wiiatever 
evil that you wish may befall them, will be visited on yourself. 

3d Point. Jerusalem is the figure of a rebellious soul that re- 
sists God, rejects his graces, stifles his inspirations, despises his 
commandments, sighs not for his promises, and mocks at his 
threats ; which thinks not of its past sins with tears of compunc- 
tion ; or of its present sins, to disenthrall itself from them ; or of 
its future sins, to avoid them ; of the mercy of God, whose arms 
are extended towards it ; of the justice of God, that threatens it 
and prepares its chastisements ; of the shortness of life ; of ap- 
proaching death, or the judgment towards which it is hastening, 
(^h, ungrateful soul, if you knew all that you deserve ! oh, if you 
knew how often you have made Jesus weep ! How can you con- 
sole yourself] How can you rejoice while Jesus weeps 1^ 



NINTH MONDAY AFTER PEx\TECOST. 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The Romans were the enemies who ruined and laid 
waste the city of Jerusalem ; but devils are the enemies who be- 
siege a rebellious soul. It is not your gold, silver, or treasures that 
they seek, but the eternal ruin of your soul. They pursue it during 
life, and lay siege to it at death ; they surround it on every side, 
shut out from it every avenue of grace, take it, enslave it, pillage 
it of all its treasures, and leave not one stone upon another, but des- 
olate it utterly. Alas ! you are willing to suffer all imaginable 

♦ Word* of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation, 



428 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

evils in defence of your temporal possessions, and take no pains 
to defend your own soul, but abandon it to the devil, who makes 
himself master of it. Oh, if you knew, or could understand the 
state of a soul that falls into the power of Satan ! 

2d Point. The city of Jerusalem fell into ruin and desolation 
because she knew not " the time of her visitation.'''^ There is a 
time of grace and a time of chastisement, a time of mercy and a 
time of justice, a time of consolation and a time of affliction. 
When a person does not profit by the grace of God, abuses his 
mercy, and does not make a good use of his consolations, he falls 
into grievous pains and extreme afflictions. The devil visits the 
soul as well as God, but with this difference, the visits of God 
produce peace and the fruits thereof, those of the devil contentions 
and innumerable evils. We must, then, mistrust all that troubles 
the heart and disquiets the soul. Oh, if you only knew who it is 
that comes to visit us in holy comiyiunion ! He comes not to de- 
stroy but to save; He comes to give us his peace : refuse it not. 

3d Point. Jesus, having entered the temple, drove out tbose 
who profaned it by their negotiations and traffic. This must 
have been a great profanation of the holy place, since it filled the 
Lamb of God with wrath, and caused Him to drive thence, with 
blows, the buyers and sellers, to upset the tables of tlie money- 
changers, and throw their gold and silver on the pavement. Your 
soul is the temple of God : what passes therein 1 What shame- 
ful and abominable traffic ! Do you not make the house of God 
a den of thieves % Oh, if you knew what misfortunes you draw 
on yourself vhen you abandon the exercise of prayer, or when 
you pray with lukewarmness, sloth, or negligence ! 

Your soul is the house of God, or the abode of the devil. Does 
it praise God or blaspheme Him 1 Is it a holy or a profane place ? 
I see therein only brutal passions, shameful occupations, and an 
avarice whose ainis are all mean and sordid. What, idols of 
vanity and impurity on the altars of this temple ! Break these 
idols, overthrow these altars, drive out these evil traders, and 
give the gold and silver to the poor, or God will give it to your 
enemies. Purify your soul, w^hich is the temple of God, and let 
it no longer be a den of thieves, and a retreat for ambitious and 
impure thoughts. Oh, if you knew the evils that result from pro- 
faning this temple of God ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He hath visited 
and wrought the redemption of his people." St. Luke^ i. 



NINTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 429 

" I have spread forth my hands all the day to an unbelieving 
people, who walk in a w^ay that is not good, after ,their own 
thoughts." Imias, Ixv. 

" Behold, 1 cast out devils, and do cures to-day and to-morrow, 
and the third day I am consummated." SL Luke^ xiii. 

" I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with 
stripes." Psalm Ixxxviii. 

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and 
stonest them that are sent to thee ! how^ often would 1 have gath- 
ered together thy children, as the hen gathereth her chickens under 
her wdngs, and thou wouldst not V St, Matt xxiii. 



NINTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

p.el)itatt0n. 

ON THE DEATH OF THE WICKED, WHICH IS FIGURED * BY THE CITY 
OF JERUSALEM SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES. 

1st Point. Death is a great evil ; sin is greater ; but death and 
sin united make the greatest of all evils. It is a universal and 
eternal evil, and an evil without remedy. The most terrible threat 
that God can utter against a man is, that he shall die in his sins. 

Oh, the death of the wicked is horrible beyond description ! 
They are seized with mortal terror when, without expecting it, 
they find themselves on the uttermost verge of that time which 
they have so badly employed, ready to enter into a frightful 
abode, from whence they will return no more forever; when they 
begin to see that which they have never seen, when they begin to 
conceive that which they have never conceived, begin to measure 
an evil which has no measure, and begin to feel an evil which they 
have never felt. 

They leave a place of temporal pleasures, to enter into a place 
of eternal torture, descend from their earthly paradise to a place 
of misery, pass from abundance to extreme poverty, and fall from 
a throne of slorv into an abvss of shame. Oh, terrible chaufje ! 
oh, surprising novelty ! 

2d Point. That w^hich constitutes the desire of the good will be 
the fear of the wicked. The just desire only to see God ; the 
wicked fear nothing so much as to appear before Him. Oh, the 
astonishment and dismay of the sinner, when he finds himself be- 
fore the tribunal of a God whom he has irritated, a Father whom 
h^has outraged, a Friend whom he has betrayed, a King whom he 



430 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

has abandoned, a Judge whom he has offended, a Saviour whom 
he has mocked, sold, and crucified ! 

Then he will behold himself, like a rebellious city, surrounded bj 
devils, who besiege and lay claim to the possession of his soul and 
body. He will see at his head a Judge, who is about to condemn 
him ; at his feet an abyss, into which he will fall ; behind him the 
world, which has betrayed and abandoned him ; before hi-m the 
goods and treasures that he has loved so much, and of which he 
will soon be stripped ; at his side his good angel and devils ; the 
angel angry, the devils waiting impatiently for their prey ; within, 
an enraged conscience- and the sight of innumerable sins which he 
has committed : and around him the flesh that he has loved, but 
w^hich he must now abandon. 

3d Point. Oh, what a sweet and consoling spectacle to the dy- 
ing Christian is the death of Jesus on the cross! But, while it is 
the hope of Christians, it fills the dying impenitent with despair. 
They behold all his wounds reopen at their presence, and hear a 
voice of thunder saying to them : Behold Him whom you have 
crucified ! behold the Saviour you have renounced ! behold the 
wounds I have received for and from you ! behold the side which 
was opened for you, that you might enter into my heart, but you 
refused ! Depart from me, ye accursed : ye can never enter here ! 

What will be my last end 1 How shall I die 1 As I have lived. 
If I live like the just my death will be like theirs ; if I live 
like the wicked my end will be like unto theirs. Oh my God, let 
me die the death of the righteous, let my last end be like theirs ! 
1 W'ish to live in the practice of mortification and good works, that 
I may die like them. I wish to live in grace, to die in grace ; to 
live in peace that I may die in peace. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"- The death of the wicked is very evil." Psalm xxxiii. 

" Burning coals shall fall upon them: Thou w^ilt cast them down 
into the fire : in miseries they shall not be able to stand." Psalm 
cxxxix. 

"Unless you do penance you shall all likewise perish." St. 
LuJce^ xiii. 

" Why shall I fear in the evil day 1 The iniquity of my heel 
shall encompass me." Psalm xlviii. 

" And they shall leave their riches to strangers : and th(nr sep- 
ulchres shall be their houses forever." Ibid. 

'* And the rich man also died : and he was buried in hell." St, 
Luke, xvi. • 



NINTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 431 

NINTH WEDNESDx\Y AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE DEATH OF THE JUST. 

1st Point. Death is sweet to those to whom life is bitter 
When one finds no pleasure in life he finds it in death; he leave: 
without pain that which he possessed without pleasure; he re- 
moves with joy from a house in which he found no enjoyment. 
Separation is agreeable to those who do not love each other ; if 
yoi; do not love your body it will give you no trouble to leave it. 
What reason have you to love it ? ^Yhat happiness can you find 
on earth, where you are always in danger of losing your soul ? 
Tliat which you have loved in this life will cause you bitter grief 
when you come to die. That which afflicted you during life will, 
in death, be your consolation. 

2d Point. What can grieve a soul which has nothing to attach 
it to the world ? Love is strong like death ; love separates the 
soul from the body, and from all the things of sense ; it does be- 
forehaxid all that death can do. What can attach a soul that holds 
no more to the body ? Oh the view of its good works fills it with 
consolation at the hour of death ; the treasure of its merits cannot 
be wrested from it ; it is a precious inheritance, which no power 
can take away. 

3d Point. I can see nothing better in life than a beautiful gato 
by which to go out of it. Of all the good that man can desire the 
greatest is to die well ; death is not frightful to him who has lived 
well, it is rather the consummation of his desires, because it is the 
end of his combats, the crown of his merits, the entrance into the 
glory which awaits him, and the passage to a better life. Fear 
not, God will not abandon in death those who have been his faith- 
ful servants in life. He fortifies them with his grace ; He lets 
them lean on his bosom ; He dispels their fears, and orders his 
angels to console, defend and receive their souls, and bear them 
to heaven. 

Oh the death of his saints is precious in the sight of the Laid, 
The sacrifice is glorious ; the victim is acceptable. My God, can 
T hope for a good death if I lead a wicked life ? It is true that I 
ha\e lost my innocence, but I can recover it by penance. Do 
penance, then, now while you have time and opportunity, for an 
hour draws near when you will be deprived of both. Live lika 
the righteous, that your death may be like theirs. 



432 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS, 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 



" Write : Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." Apoca 
lypse^ xiv. 

" With him that feareth the Lord, it shall go well in the latter 
end, and in the day of his death he shall be blessed." Eccles, i. 

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." 
Psolm cxv. 

" But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and 
lift up your heads ; because your redemption is at hand." St. 
Liike^ xxi. 

'• He shall cast death down headlong for ever : and the Lord 
God shall wipe away tears from every eye." Isaias^ xxv. 

"And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come 
into Sion with praise; and everlasting joy shall be upon their 
heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness ; and sorrow and 
mourning shall flee away." Isaias, xxxv. 



NINTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST, 



ON THE CHASTISEMENT OF SINNERS. 

1st Point. Our hearts are the temples of God; they are con- 
secrated by baptism, purified by the sacrament of penance, sanc- 
tified by the holy eucharist, and by the presence of the Holy 
Gliost, who makes them his dwelling, and who there receives our 
homage, our adoration, our praise, our offerings, and our prayers. 
This is the reason why, as our material temples are holy, our 
hearts should be so likewise. As it is sacrilege to profane them, 
is it not also sacrilege to profane the heart 1 Oh, my brethren, 
says St. Paul, remember that you are the temples of the Holy 
Ghost. Do nothing, therefore, which could oftend the pure eyes 
of God, who dwells in you. 

2d Point. The tem.ple of Jerusalem was profaned by the proud 
and arrogant, who are represented by the buyers and sellers ; by 
the avaricious, who exercised therein unjust traffic and usury, and 
by the impure, who are represented by beeves and other cattle 
that were brought hither for sale. Thus the heart of man is 
profaned by avaricious and ambitious desires, badly regulated 
impulses, concupiscence, and brutal passions. 



NINTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 433 

Behold what kindled the anger of our Lord ! behold the cause 
that stirred his zeal to action ! behold why He chastiseth those 
who dishonored his temple ! 

Enter into yourself, examine your heart and see that there is 
nothing within to offend the majesty and sanctity of God ; He is 
a jealous God, and will not suffer idolatries in his temple. What 
are those false clivinitie»to whom you sacrifice your desires ? What 
means this shameful traffic ? this infamous commerce ? these im- 
purities ? this lasciviousness ? these ambitious thoughts ? this hatred 
and revenge? Many are the chastisements prepared for the 
wricked. If the Son of God made a scourge, He found the cords 
on earth ; if God chastises us, it is because we place the rod in 
his hands, and our sins force Him to punish us. 

There are three cords, that is, three chastisements wherewith 
He punishes the profaners of his temple. He covers them with 
disgrace to punish their pride ; He casts their gold and silver to 
the earth, and overthrows the tables of those who think of noth- 
ing but the gratification of an avaricious passion ; He subjects 
them to all the penalties of their pride, avarice, and voluptuous- 
ness. The chastisements that our Lord inflicted on the profaners 
of his material temple are only figures of those which He brings 
on the abusers of his spiritual. 

Examine your conscience, visit your heart and discover if it 
has not some inordinate attachment, or if it does not hold some 
criminal intercourse with creatures. You complain of the igno- 
minies with which you are visited ; you are troubled about your 
gains, and do not know what will become of the treasures which 
you have amassed ; you are consumed with anger^n quietude and 
malice. Do you know the cause ? It is because there is an idol 
in your heart that you adore ; that there is an altar to avarice 
therein, where you immolate all your desires ; and one of volup- 
tuousness, where you offer the sacrifice of body and soul. There 
are attachments, inclinations, affections, and preferences, which you 
worship instead of God, forgetting that He is a jealous God, who 
will have no other gods before Him, and that He wdll punish in 
his wrath all who turn aside to w^orship idols. Behold the cause 
of your misfortunes ! 

He drove them out of the temple with their unholy traffic, their 
goods, and their treasures of gold and silver. What ! do you 
dare make my Father's house a den of thieves ] Do you carry 
on in your heart, which is my temple, these infamous negotiations 1 
do you adore these creatures of gold and silver, these creatures 
of lust and sin, and profane mv house thereby ? Oh, I will reign 
19 



434 • DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

over thee hj love or power ; I will make thee feel the effects of 
my justice, if you do not feel the effects of my goodness. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Many are the scourges of the sinner." Psalm xxxi. 

" And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into 
the temple of Dagon, and set it by Dagom" 1 Kings^ v. 

'• Behold I will bring an affliction on this place. Because they 
have forsaken me, and profaned this place, and have sacrificed 
therein to strange gods." Jeremias, xix. 

" What is the meaning" that my beloved hath wrought much 
wickedness in my house ?" Jeremias^ xi. 

" Behold I will bring evils upon them, which they shall not be 
able to escape : and thev shall cry to me, and I will not hearken 
to them." Ibid, 

" O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have 
defiled thy holy temple. Pour out thy wrath upon the nations 
that have not known Thee ; and upon the kingdoms that have net 
called upon thy name." Psalm Ixxviii. 



NINTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON AN ABUSE OF THE GRACES AND VISITATIONS OF OUR LORD. 

1st Point. Jisrusalem was desolated and abandoned to the power 
of her enemies, because her people would not profit by the time 
of the visitation of Jesus. God visits us by his inspirations, by 
his interior touches, by his blessings, by his chastisements, and by 
the counsel He gives us through the preachers of his word, and by 
confessors. When you stifle the voice of Jesus, you outrage his 
Spirit ; you imitate Herod, who put to death John the Baptist, 
through whom He spoke; you imitate Saul, who killed the 
priests who were the organs of his divinity ; and you imitate the 
Jews who did not profit by his visitation, and were consequently 
reproved and chastised. 

2d Point. When you resist the inspirations of God, you sin 
knowingly through obstinacy, and with malice ; you bury the 
talent that God has given you, you abuse his most sacred gifts, 
you trample, says St. Paul, Jesus Christ under foot, profane his 
blood, and afflict and irritate his Spirit. 



NINTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 435 

3d Point. When you resist the inspirations of God you hold 
truth captive, you break up the order of grace which Avas prepared 
for you, you put yourself in danger of being placed under the 
same condemnation as the city of Jerusalem, you draw on your- 
self the yengeance of God, and there is great reason to fear that 
you will die in your sins. 



NINTH Sx\TURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE TROUBLES THAT FOLLOW THOSE WHO ABUSE THE GIFTS 

OF GOD. 

1st Point. God is silent after having spoken ; He hides his 
face and reveals himself no more after being seen ; He goes away 
after having called in yain ; He abandons the soul after having 
knocked repeatedly at the door of its heart ; He at last despises 
those who despise Him ; He scourges with bitter chastisements 
after having pardoned again and again ; He demands much from 
those who have received much ; He punishes wdth severity those 
who have received and abused his graces. 

Are you not one of those hard and rebellious spirits ? are you 
not the disciple of Herod or Saul ? How often has He not spoken 
to you, called you, waited for you, sought you, pursued you, 
knocked at the door of your heart and conjured you to open it to 
Him, to abandon sin, and correct the vices to which you are most 
subject, to reconcile yourself with your enemies, to bridle your 
tongue, to frequent the sacraments, and to be more faithful in ac- 
quitting yourself of your duties, moral and religious. 

How often have you not held truth captive in your mind, and 
not given it liberty to descend into your heart, that it might pass 
from your heart to your hands, to strengthen them in the per- 
formance of good works'? . 

2d Point. Oh rebellious soul ! the justice of God is about ^dsit- 
ing you, and the Uilents that you have not profited by will be 
taken from you, and given to him who has made a good use of 
his, and you will be cast out forever from the kingdom of love 
and peace, which you have neither striven nor desired to enter. 
Ungrateful and hardened heart ! it is finished. God will not speak 
again ; his word will no longer touch you, the Holy Ghost will 
no more visit you with his inspirations, Jesus will no longer in- 
vite and wait on you, your good angel will cease to reprove you, 



436 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

your conscience will be silent, remedies can no more profit yon, 
God will never chide you again in love ; He will abandon you to 
the fury of your passions, and the graces that you have abused shall 
never return. 

3d Point. Oh my God, I know that I am not yet abandoned 
by Thee, because I still hear thy voice threatening and admonish- 
ing me ! Oh, I no longer desire to make Thee wait, as I have 
presumed these many years to do ! I will no longer resist thy 
graces or render myself rebellious to thy inspirations ; I have 
long held truth captive, but I will give it liberty without delay, 
that I may prove the sincerity of my intentions to obey Thee. 

O Jerusalem, '• if thou also hadst known^ and that in this thy 
day^ the things that are for thy peace : but now they are hidden 
from thy eyesP Oh soul, know the day of thy visitation ; reject 
not the grace and peace which yet await thee ! Perhaps it is the 
last time that God will visit you, and the last time that He will 
speak. Profit by this occasion, which perhaps may never return ; 
receive Him into your heart ; give Him what He asks, which is 
to reign therein ; and accept the peace He offers you, which sur- 
passeth all human thought. Oh, abuse not his gifts lest you feel 
the inexorable rigor of his vengeance. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"And thou that despisest, shalt not thyself also be despised f 
Isaias^ xxxiii. 

" Because I called, and you refused ; I stretched out my hand, 
and there was none that regarded. You have despised all my 
counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions. I also will laugh 
in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come to you 
which you feared." Proverbs^ i. 

" I go and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sin." 
St. John^ viii. 

" Extinguish not the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians^ v. 

" To-day, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 
Psalm xciv. 

" Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be 
taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the 
fruits thereof." St. Matt. xxi. 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 437 

*TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. LuTce^ xviii. 9-14. 

•'At that time, Jesus spake this parable to some who trusted in 
themselves as just, and despised others : Two men went up into 
the temple to pray ; the one was a Pharisee and the other a publi- 
can. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, 
I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, 
unjust, adulterers, as is also this publican. I fast twice in the 
week : I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, stand- 
ing afar off. would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven, 
but struck his breast, saying : O God, be merciful to me a sinner, 
I say to you that this man went down to his house justified rather 
than the other : because every one that exalteth himself shall be 
humbled ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Behold in the Pharisee the incarnation of a haughty 
spirit, and in the publican the incarnation of an humble spirit. 
The just man commences his prayers by an accusation of himself, 
and the Pharisee by praises of himself. The just man esteems 
himself the most wicked of men ; the Pharisee esteems himself 
the best and most perfect. The just man beholds only the sins 
of his life ; the Pharisee sees only his own virtues. The just man 
conceals his good works and makes known his defects ; the Phari- 
see hides his defects and publishes his good works. The just man 
counts as nothing all the good that he has done, and the Pharisee 
boasts of and makes much of the little good that he has done. The 
just man despises no creature ; the Pharisee despises all the world, 
including the publican. The just man labors chiefly for the inte- 
rior life ; he practises those things which lead to holiness, such as 
faith, humility, patience, and other Christian virtues ; the actions 
of the Pharisee are all exterior, and to be seen of men. Finally, 
the just man believes that all is wanting in him, and prays to God 
incessantly to assist him in his spiritual necessities ; on the con- 
trary, the Pharisee imagines himself perfect, and does not ac- 
knowledge the slightest dependence on God, by asking the least 
favor of Him, but thanks Him with an affected gratitude that "At 
is not like the rest of men,^'' 



438 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

2d Point. Uiiliappy are we when we have the vices without the 
virtues of the Pharisee. Do you fast twice a week as he does? 
do you pay tithes of all thut you possess? do you give great 
alms to the poor? do you, like him, pi'ay much? do you encom- 
pass sea and land to make a proselyte and to enlighten men with 
the light of faith? Even should you have done all this, you will 
not be saved if, saith our Lord, your justice does not exceed that 
of the Scribes and Pharisees. Why? Because all their works 
are done through vanity. Alas ! what will become of you, who 
have all their pride without their good w^orks ! Learn of the pub- 
lican a lesson of humility. 

The publican remained near the door of the temple, esteeming 
himself unworthy to approach the sanctuary. He felt such confu- 
sion on account of his sins, that he dared not lift his eyes towards 
heaven ; he struck his breast through a feeling of deep and sincere 
compunction, confessing himself a sinner, and only worthy of a 
place among sinnei's. His prayer was short because his con- 
fidence was great and his grief profound. 

3d Point. The judgments of God are different from those of 
men. Who would not have believed that the Pharisee was in 
friendship with God, and that the publican under his hatred and 
displeasure? Notw^ithstanding which, the Son of God declared 
that the publican ^^ iveni down to the house justified rather than the 
other ^^'' because one was bumble and the other proud, for humility 
destroys all vices, and pride destroys all virtues. 

Are you humble ? You have cause to be ; you are only 
nothingness before God ; you are only a sinner and the chief of 
sinners ; you are an ungrateful and rebellious sinner ; you have 
all your life abused the graces of God, and have merited the hell 
of the ungrateful, which is the most profound abyss in the regions 
of woe. Why do you elevate yourself, creature of dust and ashes ? 
What good have you ever done ? What evil have you left un- 
done? How many graces have you not received from God? 
How have you not abused them? '-''Whoever exalteth himself 
shall be humbled^ and he that hunibleth himself shall be exalted.'''' 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Thou say est : I am rich, and am made wealthy, and have need 
of nothing : and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miser- 
able, and poor, and blind, and naked." Apocalypse^ iii. . 

" But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he 
that commend eth himself is approved, but he whom God com- 
mendeth." 2 Corinthians^ x. 



TENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 439 

" If any man think himself to be something, whereas he is 
nothing, he deceiveth himself" Galatians^ vi. 

" The just is first accuser of himself " Proverbs^ xviii. 

" Where pride is, there also shall be reproach : but where hu- 
mility is, there also is wisdom." Proverbs^ xi. 

" Humiliation followeth the proud ; and glory shall uphold the 
humble of spirit." Proverbs, xxix. 



TENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON PRESUMPTION. 

1st Point. What are you that you presume on yourself? what 
have you been ? what are you now ? what will you be in future ?" 

For the past you only know that you have sinned, but you do 
not know that your sins are forgiven you. You know that you 
have offended God, but do not know that -you have appeased Him. 
You know that you have lost his grace, but you do not know that 
you have recovered it. You say that you have confessed, but was 
your confession good? was it entire? was it accompanied by 
compunction? was it' supernatural? was it sincere? Did you 
confess' all your sins ? Was it done with all your heart, and as if 
it were the last you would ever make ? Have you changed your 
ways and life? Was your sorrow true attd sincere? I doubt 
much the sincerity of a grief so transitory, that it dies almost as 
soon as it is conceived. You say that you do not feel guilty of 
any sin, but saying so does not justify you. It is not proper to 
trouble or disturb yourself, but it is still less so to presume, 
knowing that you have sinned, but not being assured that your 
sins are forgiven you. 

2d Point. Who and what are you at present ? Are you in the 
grace of God ? Have you nothing on your conscience to cause 
you pain? The heart of man is deep and impenetrable. The 
spirit of the devil is deceptive ; he transfigures himself into an 
angel of light and deceives the most enlightened. The vices 
imitate the virtues ; the passions blind the heart. A man easily 
persuades himself that Avhat he loves is good ; for no man can be 
at enmity with himself; he readily and plausibly defends that 
which he inordinately loves ; he makes pass for venial that 
which too often is mortal. What good can you do, you who are 



440 



DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



not sure that you have ever done a good action ? Who can judge 
or know your mtention ? If your intention is bad, it is impossible 
for the act to be good. Many are deluded by the enemy of souls, 
who disguises evil under the appearance of good. The human 
heart is deceitful. There is nothing that God does not sound, 
does not know, and the designs of which He does not discern and 
understand. 

3d Point. What will be your future 1 Are you sure of perse- 
vering in the grace of God ? Does your will correspond with the 
inspirations of good that visit you ? How often has it not be- 
trayed you ? How many times deceived you ? Your will is in- 
sufficient for your perseverance, ft is necessary that God should 
accompany you, assist, follow and sustain you by his grace. Can 
you be sure of the will of God ? He desires certainly, but not 
absolutely, to save you. He demands your co-operation ; your 
will is powerless separated from the will of God, and the will of 
God is of no avail for your salvation without the co-operation of 
yours. Are not special and extraordinary graces necessary to 
save a presumptuous soul ? Presumption forfeits all claim to the 
merit of extraordinary favors.* 



TENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

O^HER MOTIVES OF FEAR. 

1st Point. Salvation often depends on a little thing. A venial 
sin cannot damn a man, but that and trifling infidelities often 
lead to results which bring on him the condemnation of the re- 
probate. While we are on earth heaven or hell are ojTen to our 
choice. I find no safety in the world, except in obedience and 
humility. Angels have fallen from heaven into the eternal abyss 
of woe ; pillars of the church have been consumed or overthrown ; 
Solomon fell into guilt ; Judas despaired ; Tertullian and Origeii 
strayed from the faith. Who will not be afraid? The fall of 
great men, eminent in their day for holiness of life, ought to make 
those who are less, tremble. The ruin of the proud, the hurling 
down of the mighty, ought to hold us in fear and humility. 

2d Point. Oh my God, my hope, do not abandon me to the 
spirit of pride ! Take from me, oh Father of mercy, all the goods 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 441 

that I possess, spiritual and temporal, so Thou dost leave with 
me or give me the virtue of humility. Take from me thy gifts, 
their loss will not afflict me, if I have humility. If I regard only 
myself, oh my God, I find every thing to fear ; but if I consider 
Thee I see all to hope. I can deceive myself, but Thou canst never 
deceive me ; Thou hast always desired my good, while I have al- 
ways desired evil ; Thou art all powerful, I am all weakness ; 
Thou knowest what is good, and I am ignorant thereof I aban- 
don myself, then, to thy care ; I place in thy hands the care of my 
salvation ; it is safer with Thee than with me. Ah, I shall find 
true repose, if I depend solely on Thee ; all that 1 fear is myself. 
I will, then, always distrust myself, and place my whole confidence 
m Thee my God and my Saviour. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The heart is perverse above all things, and unsearchable, who 
can know it ? I am the Lord who search the heart, and prove the 
reins." Jeremias^ xvii. 

" For I am not conscious to myself of any thing : yet in this 
am I not justified." 1 Corinthians^ iv. 

" Thou that standest by faith ; be not high minded, but fear." 
Roman a ^ xi. 

" Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God ; 
that He may exalt you in the time of visitation : casting all your 
solicitude upon Him ; for He hath care of you." 1 Peter ^ v. 



TENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON OUR OWN NOTHINGNESS. 

1st Point. To be, is to come from God ; not to be, is to return 
to Him. Until a soul finds its nothingness, it cannot find God. 
He is hidden under the veil of creatures, and it is only when men 
have penetrated and looked beyond that material veil that they 
will see Him. so to speak, in plain view. 

To know all, it is necessary to know nothing ; to taste all, to 
taste nothing ; to have all, to have nothing. To become all, it is 
necessary to be nothing. 

2d Point. Oh my God ! my King ! Thou art my all, and I am 
nothing ; Thou art my science, for I know nothing ; Thou art my 
19* 



442 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

strength, for I, of myself, can do nothing ; Thou art my sanctity, 
for 1 am only sin and malice. Speak, Lord, for thy servant hear- 
eth. My tongue is without words before Thee, but Thou under- 
standest all the language of my heart when it speaks to Thee. 

Happy is the soul, that, in the silence of all human reason and 
vain imaginations, listens to God. Keep silence, carnal and hu- 
man thoughts, let all the earth be silent in the presence of the Lord. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I am brought to nothing : as a wind Thou hast taken away my 
desire : and my prosperity hath passed away like a cloud." . Job^ 

XXX. 

" My substance is as nothing before Thee." Psalm xxxviii. 

" The watchmen, who keep the city, found me : Have you seen 
Him whom my soul loveth ? When I had a little passed by 
them, I found Him whom my soul loveth." Cant, iii. 

" Let all flesh be silent at the presence of the Lord." Zacharias, ii. 



TENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON PRAYER. 

1st Point. Two men went up to the temple to pray. One 
prayed aright, and went out. justified; the other prayed wrong, 
and was reproved. Learn to pray, and to pray well. 

The poor offer petitions to the rich, but there are those of both 
classes, and full of miseries, who have no recourse to God in 
prayer, or if they do, it is but seldom, or coldly, or with indiffer- 
ence. Why is this ? It is because w^e are ignorant of our mis- 
eries, or do not love Him ; it is because w^e do not know the vir- 
tue of prayer ; it is because we are proud, and do not wish to 
humble ourselves before Him ; it is because w^e distrust his wis- 
dom, his power, or his goodness ; it is because we are in a sort of 
lethargy, which prevents our feeling a sense of our miseries ; it 
is because w^e fear true virtue more than we love it. It is, finally, 
because we have not faith, hope, charity ; no humility, patience, 
devotion, or zeal for our salvation. These are the reasons why 
we do not ask the favor and grace of God. 

2d Point. There is a wide difference between God and man. 
Man is poor, God is infinitely rich ; man is ignorant of his mis- 
eries, God knows all our wants : man is unfeeling, hard, and piti* 



TENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 443 

less, God is infinitely tender and liberal. Men are not pleased 
when we ask favors of them, but God is best pleased when we 
pray most to Him. Prayer is a sacrifice of praise, and therefore 
it is infinitely agreeable to God. Those who pray, produce in 
themselves acts of faith, hope, charity, humility, patience, perse- 
verance, resignation, conformity, fervor, devotion, and obedience, 
which are the sacrihces of prayer. 

3d Point. Oh my God, Thou dost love the humble poor, but 
the proud are an abomination to Thee. I am not, then, astonished, 
if I do not obtain any thing from thy goodness. I know not my 
misery ; I do not desire to know it ; Ido noi wish to humble my- 
self before Thee ; I do not condescend to invoke thy assistance. 
Even if I do pray, it is in a cold, indifferent, condescending, vexed, 
and impatient manner. My prayer is not a perfume of virtues, 
which goes like a sweet odor into paradise, but a black vapor 
which rises up only to form angry clouds. It is not an exercise 
of piety, but a scandalous contempt which kindles the fire of thy 
anger, and merits nothing but chastisements. 

Oh Lord, have mercy on me, and reject not my prayer, for on 
this my salvation depends. I will henceforth pray to Thee in- 
cessantly ; knowing my misery, I will appeal to thy infinite mercy ; 
I will pray with humility, knowing thy grandeur; I will pray 
with confidence, knowing thy liberality; I will pray with submis- 
sion, knowing that Thou wilt grant me whatsoever I ask of Thee, 
or even something better than I know how to ask for. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"Amen, amen, I say to you : If you ask the Father any thing 
^in my name, He will give it you." St, Jbhn^ xvi. 

" For we know not what we should pray for as we ought : but 
the Spirit himself asketh for us, with unspeakable groanings." 
Romans, viii. 

" Oh, woman, great is thy faith ; be it done unto thee as thou 
wilt." St. Matt. XV. 

"Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 
St. Luke., xi. 

" If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your 
children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the 
good Spirit to them that ask Him 1" Jbid, 



444 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



TENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE DEFECTS OF PRAYER. 

1st Point. Why is it that I obtain nothing from God ? Jt is 
because you ask for those things which are unnecessary or im- 
proper for you ; because you pray when you are not in a fit state 
to be heard by Him ; and because you pray without attention, 
respect, devotion, huijiility, confidence, or perseverance. 

2d Point. From w^hence come these distractions 1 They come 
from the devil, w^hose object it is to disgust us with prayer ; they 
proceed from our imagination, which is light and fickle ; they 
come from our spirit, which occupies itself with vain and useless 
things during the day ; they come from our heart, which is at- 
tached to creatures, and goes incessantly after its treasures, to 
seek and abide w^ith them, and find its chief delight in the inter- 
course it holds w^ith them : it takes no pleasure in God, finds no 
happiness in Him, and flies from all communion with tlim, be- 
cause it is a stranger and alien to Him through its want of love. 
They come from the body, w^hich burdens and w^eakens the soul ; 
they arise from the small concern we feel for our salvation ; they 
proceed from our own baseness, love of ease, and infidelity. 

3d Point. Why am I without consolation ? Because you are 
without afilictions, and desire it with too much passion and im- 
patience. It is because you judge yourself worthy of it, that 
you murmur w'hen you receive it not ; it is because you seek 
it too much in creatures ; it is because God desires to break 
you of your pride, and hold you in humility ; it is to make you 
feel your weakness, and inspire you with compassion for yourself, 
to excite your desire, to punish your omissions, to spur your sloth, 
to try your patience, to increase your merit, to detach you from 
your sensual existence and make you commence a spiritual life, 
to oblige you to practise faith, to strengthen your hope, to purify 
your charity, and prove your fidelity and love.* 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TENTII SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 445 



TENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Why has God left me in darkness ? To make your 
life more spiritual, and cause you to esteem more highly the graces 
you have already received ; to force you, as it were, to desire 
them ; to make you careful to preserve them, and quick to re- 
cover them ; to oblige you to feel the necessity thereof; to mod- 
erate your fervor, and strengthen your hope; to preserve the 
health of your soul ; to make you merit the graces that God has 
prepared for you, and to prepare your heart for their reception. 

2d Point. Oh, Jesus my Lord ! I vras blind and deluded when 
I abandoned prayer in this state of sterility and dryness. Alas ! 
when I thought Thou wert angry with me, it was then Thou wast 
showing me the most love, and when I thought Thou wert far 
from me Thou wert most near. Oh, I shall henceforth be more 
faithful in prayer. In whatever state thy divine wisdom may 
place me, I will discharge this important duty with fidelity. I 
will regard my misery with humility, await thy visitation with 
patience, not ceasing to pray ; suffer my privations in peace and 
tranquillity of spirit, and hold myself honored to wait in thy 
presence. Is it not paradise to be with Thee. 

3d Point. I will then content myself vrith Thee only. I ar- 
dently desire to serve Thee only. I will listen no more to the 
murmurs and complaints of nature, but, confirmed in faith, I will 
place all my happiness in pleasing Thee, and doing thy holy will. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks." 1 Thes- 
saJonians^ v. 

" God is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in 
spirit and in truth." St. John^ iv. 

"You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss." St 
James, iv. 

" The just cried ; and the Lord heard them, and delivered them 
out of all their troubles." Psalm xxxiii. 

'• Shall not my soul be subject to God? for from Him is my 
salvation." Psalm Ixi. 

" He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble : and He 
hath not despised their petition." Psalm ci. 



446 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. Mai% vii. 31-37. 

" At that time, Jesus, going out of the coasts of Tyre, He came 
by Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coast of 
Decapolis. And they bring to Him one deaf and dumb ; and they 
besought him that He would lay his hands upon him. And taking 
him from the multitude apart, He put his fingers into his ears, 
and spitting, He touched his tongue ; and looking up to heaven, 
He groaned, and said to him : Ephpheta, that is. Be opened. 
And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his 
tongue was loosed, and he spoke right. And He charged them 
that they should tell no man. But the more He charged them, 
so much the more a great deal did they publish it. And so much 
the more did they wonder, saying : He hath done all things well ; 
He hath made both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. To be deaf to the Word of God, to be dumb when 
it is necessary to confess one's sins, or reprove the Avicked, or 
thank God, or pray to Him, or praise Him, is to be possessed of 
a devil, and in a state which is so afflicting to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, that it causes Him to groan and weep. Are you not pos- 
sessed of these wicked dispositions'? Are you not deaf to the in- 
spirations of God ? How often has He not spoken to you, impor- 
tuned you, exhorted and threatened you ? Are you not too often 
dumb when it is necessary to speak ; when you ought to defend 
the cause and interests of God ; when you ought to confess your 
sins and declare the truth ? 

3d Point. There is a good and bad deafness ; a good and bad 
silence. To close your ears to the vain conversation of the 
world, to the discourse of slanderers, and to all injurious words, is 
a good deafness; to close them to the advice and correction of 
superiors, to the threats and counsel of preachers, and to the in- 
spirations of the Holy Ghost, is a bad deafness. Not to speak, 
when it is necessary to correct inferiors, is a criminal silence. 
But there is nothing better than to be dumb when any one offends 
you, speaks evil of you, or gives utterance to injurious things con- 
cerniug you. As a general rule, when your heart feels moved, 
and impelled by its emotions to speak, keep silence. Alas ! my 



ELEVENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 447 

ears are open to the suggestions of the devil, and closed to the in- 
spirations of the Iloly Ghost. I keep silence when I ought to 
speak, and speak when I should be silent. Those who brought 
the deaf and dumb man to Jesus besought Him to heal him ; and, 
filled with compassion, He healed his infirmities. The world is 
filled with those who are deaf, dumb, and blind, and they find no 
one to bring them to our Lord ! Oh, if you could know the favor 
you do Him, and the good and glory you procure for Him, when 
you persuade some fallen brother to forsake the evil of his ways, 
and have recourse to a confessor, you would surely be more 
zealous for souls ! If you are without charity for others, have it 
at least for yourself. Pray some one to take you to Jesus, that 
your ears may be opened, your tongue loosed, and your infirmi- 
ties all healed.* 



ELEVENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus took the deaf and dumb man apart from the 
multitude to cure him, and '* looking up to heaven He groaned^ 
Oh, have you not, by your miseries and rebellions, often afflicted 
the Son of God, and wrung groans from his compassionate heart? 
Are you worthy of consolation 1 Do you deserve that He should 
impart healing and joy unto you? 

^'He put his fingers into his ears^ His fingers represent the 
gifts of the Holy Ghost, which have often entered into your ears, 
but have never penetrated your heart. ^^He touched his tongue^ 
Oh, how often has his sacred body touched your tongue and heart, 
and notwithstanding, you still remain deaf and dumb ! Oh, 
wicked and perverse heart, which so continually resists the 
touches of grace, and refuses to love Him, who burns with love 
for you ! Oh, slanderous, impure, and provoking tongue, how is 
it that you dare touch the adorable flesh of Jesus 1 

2d Point. Open to me your heart, my sister, my spouse ! 
This is the continual and importunate prayer of Jesus. He said 
to the ears of the deaf man, ''Be opened^"^ and at that mighty voice, 
they were opened, and he heard likef others. Oh, how often has 
He not said to the ears of your heart, '-'Be opened^'' and they have 
refused to acknowledge his authority, or obey his commands ! 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



448 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Blessed are the servants who wait, and open the door to their 
Master as soon as He knocks. Do you suffer Jesus to w^ait at 
the door of your heart ? Is He not the Master thereof? What 
insolence for a servant to keep his Lord waiting! If Jesus does 
not reign in your heart, the devil does. Oh, how miserable is 
that soul which prefers lodging the devil to Jesus ! What peace 
or repose can a heart have with whom God remains not, but 
which is possessed by a spirit so evil, cruel, and wicked as Satan ! 
3d Point. ^''He doeth all things well ; He has made the deaf hea7\ 
and the dumb speak. ''^ Unbind your tongue, troubled and despair- 
ing soul ; sing this beautiful canticle of glory, you who murmur 
against the Providence of God ; say night and day, in prosperity 
and adversity, "Re doeth all things welV Could any thing be 
more beautiful, or admirable, than the w^brld that He has formed] 
Any work greater, or more sublime, than the redemption of man] 
What would become of you, where would you be, if He had not 
died for you ; if He had not left you the divine sacraments ; if 
He had not given you his sacred body and precious blood to 
drink ] What innumerable graces has He not bestowed on you ! 
How innumerable the sins that He has pardoned you ! from how 
many misfortures has He not delivered you ! If He has sent you 
afflictions, it was for your own good. Say, then, "He doeth all 
things weliy All that thou dost do, is good; and whether I am 
consoled or chastised, I will bless thee, oh Lord, at all times, 
and thy praise shall be ever on my lips. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and 
studied deceits all the day long ; but I, as a deaf man, heard not, 
and as a dumb man, not opening his mouth. And I became as a 
man that heareth not, and that hath no reproofs in his mouth." 
Psalm XXX vii. 

" He who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of 
his ways, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multi- 
tude of sins." St. James ^ v. 

" Open to me, my sister, my love, my undefiled." Canticle^ v. 

"And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, 
when he shall return from the wedding : that when he cometh and 
knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those 
servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching." 
St. Liike^ xii. 

" And God saw all the things that He had made, and they were 
very good." Genesis^ i. 



ELEVENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 449 

" It is the Lord : let Him do what is good in his sight." 
Kings^ iii. 



ELEVENTH TUESDAY AFTEPw PENTECOST. 

ON SINS OF HABIT, REPRESENTED BY THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN IN 

THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. It is a great evil to accustom ourselves to evil. A 
habit of sinning is a fatal chain, which binds the soul and renders 
it a slave to crime. It blinds the spirit, hardens the heart, stifles 
the voice of conscience, and gives a death blow to modesty and 
virtue. The oflener we sin, the less pain we feel in the indulgence 
thereof At first we regard the sin by. which we are tempted with 
horror ; then with fear ; and soon with more assurance ; in a lit- 
tle while with complaisance ; then we begin to take pleasure in 
it, and, ere long, to glory in it ; after which we sin with contempt 
and indifference, and excite others to do the same. This last state 
is the profoundest abyss of iniquity, and the extremest degree of 
malice. 

2d Point. A man who does not feel the miseries of a sickness 
which is destroying him, is sick unto death. A sinner who grows 
old and hardened in his sins may be regarded as a diseased man, 
whose life is almost despaired of He is unconscious of his mal- 
ady. If he knows it, he loves it, without the slightest desire to 
detest it. He glories in it, and derives therefrom all his happi- 
ness. If he desires conversion, it is only for a moment, and in ap- 
pearance, and unattended by the slightest effort. His will is 
without effect, his desires without execution, and his resolutions 
without perseverance. His evil inclinations come from nature, 
and his vices from habit. 

3d Point. When an evil habit gains the mastery over a soul, 
it is almost impossible to overcome it. It is like a torrent that 
sweeps away all that resists it ; it is a tyrannical law, which 
domineers over his will ; it is a passion more exacting and cruel 
than concupiscence ; it is a second nature, more corrupt than the 
first. Grace attacks in vain the heart that sins through habit. 
Its most vehement blows fall disregarded, and are without effect. 
It is insensible to the touches of divine love, impenetrable to its 
arrows, and impervious to its light. It would be less difficult to 
make an Ethiopian white than to convert an inveterate sinner. 



450 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

It would be easier to. tear up a tree from the earth than tear from 
the heart a deeply rooted vice. 

What is your state ? Do you sin through ignorance ? Do 
you sin through passion ? Do you sin through weakness ? Do 
you sin without remorse of conscience] Do you sin through 
habit ? Do you sin without grief? Do you take delight in sin- 
nhig ] Do you sin with contempt 1 Do you blush for your sins, 
or commit them with boldness and assurance ? Do you glory in 
your sinful acts ? Do you never tremble after having sinned ? 

Oh, slave of the devil ! oh, miserable one, whom habit has ren- 
dered worse than nature, you are harden end, you are insensible ! 
Alas! if you felt the evil that is destroying you, there would be 
some hope of your final restoration ; but as you are callous and 
insensible to your miseries, you are without remedy, and must 
die. 

But consider ; do not despair ; you are not yet lost. You are 
not abandoned by God, since you desire to be saved. God does 
all things well, and nothing in vain ; it is He who inspires you 
with this salutary feeling. He expresses by it his desire to save, 
and his will to deliver you, if you will, without delay, co-operate 
with Him in his designs for your salvation.* 



ELEVENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. It is necessary to use great violence to break up 
these sinful and inveterate habits. Without effort you cannot ad- 
vance. Resist small temptations, and you will get the victory 
over such as are great. Do with all your heart those things that 
are easy, and God will do for you whatever is difficult. 

2d Point. Assist your neighbor, and God will assist you. 
Show him mercy, and God will show it to you ; pardon your 
enemy, and God will pardon you. A kind of miracle is neces- 
sary to bring about the conversion of an old transgressor, and to 
obtain this miracle it is necessary to present him to Jesus in spirit ; 
to pray, weep, and above all, interest others to do the same ; for our 
dear Lord considers as done to himself the charity we show to our 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the foUowmg Meditation. 



ELEVENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 451 

fellow beings, and as He is good, liberal, and grateful, He will 
never allow your efforts to go unrewarded. 

3d Point. It is necessary to confess often, for it is the number 
and the strength of the blows that are given that brings down the 
tree; frequent bathing keeps the body clean and pure, and the 
strength and frequency of humble confession heats, detaches, and 
purities the soul. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to obey the 
lusts thereof" Romans^ vi. 

'• If the Ethiopian can change his skin, or the leopard his spots, 
you also may do well when you have learned evil." Jeremias.^ x\A, 

" For my iniquities are gone over my head ; and as a heavy 
burden are become heavy upon me." Pmlm xxxvii. 

" A young man according to his way, even when he is old he- 
will not depart from it." Proverbs^ xxii. 



ELEVENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 

1st Point. " He doeth all things welV This is what we ought 
to think and say under all circumstances. To judge as God 
judges is to partake of his wisdom; to wish only what God de- 
sires, is to be a partaker of his holiness ; to have no desire con- 
trary to the desires of (jod, is to be exempt from the power or 
will to sin, like unto Him. His judgment is the rule of our judg- 
ment, his will the rule of our will. It is necessary, then, that we 
should conform our judgment to the judgments of God, and our 
will to the holy will of God. 

2d Point. God alone is possessed of- the right to do what He 
pleases and desires; He only is entitled to a will of his own. If 
I, then, wish to dispose of myself and my affiirs, according to m}^ 
own will, and to do all things just as I desire, I shall, like Lucifer, 
wish to make myself equal with God ; it will be expressive of a 
wish to withdraw myself from the dominion of God and all de- 
pendence on Him. 

3d Point. My soul, do you not desire to serve God by obedi-' 
ence? Do you wish to declare war against Him ? have you meas- 
ured your arms with his 1 can you contend with the All-powerful ? 



452 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

are you as wise as God? can you teach Him how to govern the 
world ? If you seek and do only your own will, you rob Him of 
his glory, you wish to exalt yourself to his throne and render 
yourself independent of Him ! Which seems the most reason 
able, for God to do your will or you to do his ?* 



ELEVENTH FRIDAY AFTER PEiNTECOST. 



ON THE HAPPINESS OF THOSE WHO CONFORM TO THE WILL OF 

GOD. 

■ 1st Point. My soul, you shall enjoy an unspeakable happiness 
when you conform to the will of God ! You will know a profound 
and enduring peace, your affairs will all prosper under the divine 
protection, you will be spared all weariness, vexation, and inquiet- 
ude. God does the will of those who do his ; He takes care of 
all who trust in Him and rest in his providence ; He loves those 
who love Him ; He is satisfied with those who find their satisfac- 
tion in Him ; He prospers the interests of those who advance his. 

2d Point. Is it not a heavenly state to desire all that God does, 
and wish only for what He desires ? Is it not a state of torment 
when every wish makes war against the designs of God, and every 
desire is contrary to his will 1 That soul is kept in great peace 
which conforms itself in all things to the divine will. 

3d Point. My soul, what do you intend to do ? You will have 
to submit to the will of God, through love or power. It is an 
immovable rock ; if you attempt to break it, it will break you. 
It is a strong torrent, which sweeps away all that oppose them- 
selves to its resistless force, and bears sweetly to the centre of rest 
those who allow themselves to be carried along on its safe and 
peaceful current. If 3^ou will serve God He will serve you; if you 
will afflict Him He will afl[lict you ; if you do his will He will do 
yours. 

Oh my God, I confess and know, by my own experience, that 
there is no pleasure in displeasing Thee ; no profit in offending 
Thee. I have never known peace since I have waged w^ar against 
Thee ! Make me, henceforth, all that Thou wouldsf have me. 
Make me serve Thee, even if I desir-e not to love Thee. Forer 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the f( Uowing Meditation. 



ELEVENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 40o 

me to follow Thee, although my desired oppose thy will ; con- 
strain my will until it is conformed to thine. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, come 
from God." JEcclesiasticvs^ xi. 

" The Lord hath sought a man according to his own heart, and 
him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, be- 
cause thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded." 
1 Kings^ xiii. 

" Whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him 
sad." Proverbs^ xii. 

" For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, who is in 
heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." SL Matt, xii. 

" Not as I will, but as Thou wilt." St. Matt. xxvi. 



ELEVENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

•Spritoal Ciintixk 

OF A SOUL ABANDONED TO THE WILL OF GOD. 

1st Point. I am threatened with death ; I am consumed with 
grief and weakness ; I am struck with blindness ; I am plunged 
into horrible darkness ; I am beaten by tempests ; I am exercised 
by temptations and continual persecutions ; I behold myself at the 
gates of hell ; it seems to me that God has abandoned me ! 

2d Point. Love is stronger than death ; it makes its bed i i 
darkness, and sleeps with Jesus during the fury of the tempest ; 
it would make its heaven in hell, provided it found its well- 
beloved there; it bears its heaven within itself, because its de- 
sires are all satisfied ; it possesses all, and possesses nothing ; 
God is its treasure and happiness, its all in all, and the world, 
and all that it contains or promises, is nothing. 

3d Point. Oh God ! my love, when shalt thou be all to me ? 
When shall I be all to Thee ? Thou say est : Thou wilt be all to 
me when I am all to Thee, and I shall be all to Thee when I de- 
sire only Thee. 

In whatever state you may be, and under whatever circum- 
stances, always sing this beautiful canticle of love : " God doeth 
all things well. All that He does is goody My happiness is to 
please Him ; his desires are mine, and my will is to obey his. I 
wish to accomplish all that He desires me to do ; I wish to be all 



y 



454 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

that He would have me, and wish to suffer all that He seeth good 
for me. With the Blessed Virgin I say, with all my heart : Be- 
hold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it done unto me according to 
thy word. 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.- 

The Gospel. St. LuJce, x. 23-37. 

" At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : Blessed are the eyes 
that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many 
prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, 
and have not seen them ; and to hear the things that you hear, 
and have not heard them. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood 
up, tempting Him, and saying : Master, what must I do to possess 
eternal life ] But he said to him : What is written in the Law 1 
How readest thou 1 He, answering, said : Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, 
and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; and thy neigh- 
bor as thyself And He said to him : Thou hast answered right: 
this do, and thou shalt live.. But he, willing to justify himself, 
said to Jesus : And who is my neighbor 1 And Jesus, answering, 
said : A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and 
fell among robbers, who had stripped him, and having wounded 
him, went away, leaving him half dead. And it chanced that a 
certain priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed 
by. In like manner, also, a Levite, when he was near the place, 
and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his 
journey, came near him; and seeing him, was moved with com- 
passion. And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in 
oil and wine ; and setting him upon his own beast, brought him 
to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out 
two pence, and gave to the host, and said : Take care of him ; and 
whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I at my return will 
repay thee. Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbor 
to him that fell ^mong robbers ? But he said : He that showed 
mercy to him. And Jesus said to him : Go and do thou in like 
manner." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 



1st Point. ''Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you 
466,'^'' More blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed. 



TWELFTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 455 

Most blessed are those Tvho, under the sacramental veils, receive 
Jesus, and ^vithout seeing Him enjoj his divine presence and con- 
versation ; ^vho give Him entrance into their hearts, and wish 
Him to live and reign there ; and whose actions are all governed 
by the operations of his Spirit. This is the happiness of those 
who communicate worthily. Oh, my soul ! many kings and pro- 
phets have desired to behold Him whom you receive into your 
mouth and heart. What return will you make God for so great 
a benefit, so unspeakable a blessing? He only desires your con- 
sent to abide and rest in your heart, and never to be driven hence. 
Is not this just? 

2d Point. ''3faster^ ichat must I do to possess eternal life V The 
question is, not what must I think, believe, or desire, but v:l\at 
must I do ? Our salvation does not depend alone in good thoughts 
and desires ; but good works are essential. It is the greatest con- 
cern of many to know how they can enrich themselves, increase 
their fortunes, build up houses, and provide iov their children. 
What must I do, they ask, in order to acquire fame, honor, credit, 
and reputation ? what must I do that I may recover my health 
and preserve it ? But how few ask what they must do to gain 
heavc^i and escape hell ! 

3d Point. ^''Thou shalt love the Lord thy God loith thy lohole 
hearty and iciih thy whole soul^ and ivith all thy strenrjth^ and ivith 
all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself y With all your mind, 
by thinking only of Him ; with all your heart, in desiring Him 
alone ; with all your strength, by working only for Him ; with 
all your soul, by living and breathing only for Him. Is it thus 
that you love Him ? 

Alas ! you think only of the world ; love only the world ; work 
only for the world ; and live and breathe only for the world. 
You think only of yourself; love only yourself; work only for 
yourself ; and exist only to gratify yourself in all your will and 
desires."* 



TWELFTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE LOVE OF GOD. 

1st Point. Is there any thing more just, more necessary, more 
honorable, more delightful and easy, than to love God ? He is 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



456 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

the first and most excellent of all beings. He is Goodness and 
Beauty by essence, through whom all else is beautiful and good. 
If I love all that is beautiful, ought I not to love its perfect source 
and cause ? It is He who has given me life, and formed my heart. 
Ah, who has a right to gather the fruits of a tree, if not he who 
planted it ? I live on his earth, and live only to love Him. If, 
then, I do not love Him, I deserve death. Who must I obey, if 
not my Lord and King '? He commands me to love Him, under 
the penalty of eternal death. He promises to reward me with 
eternal joys in heaven if I love Him. He died on the cross, and 
gave his life for me, through an excess of love, that I may love 
Him. 

2d Point. Ah, well, my soul ! will you always remain insen- 
sible to his powerful allurements? ungrateful for such infinite 
blessings ? rebellious to such important demands 1 unmoved by 
such tremendous threats] insensible to such rich and glorious 
promises ? What is the nature of your heart, if it can still hold 
out and refuse to love a God so great, so perfect, so amiable ; a 
God who has given you being, and who preserves it ; a God who 
has done you infinite good ; a God who died for you ; a God who 
desires that you should participate in his own happiness, and be 
associated with Him in his eternal kingdom 1 " Ah, Lord !" ex- 
claimed St. Augustine, " who art Thou, and what am I, that Thou 
shouldst command me to love Thee, and threaten me with such 
inexpressible miseries if I do not? Is there any greater misery 
for me than not to love Thee 1 any thing more glorious and ad- 
vantageous for me than to love Thee ? What difference could iny 
loving, or not loving, make to Thee ? If I love Thee, will it in- 
crease thy bliss 1 If I love Thee not, will it make Thee misera- 
ble ? Oh, Divine Love ! Thou desiredst me to love Thee, in or- 
der to render me happy in thy love ! Oh, blessed is the heart 
that loves Thee ! Oh, unhappy and unblessed is the heart that 
loves Thee not !" 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I love them that love me." Proverbs, viii. 

" If I speak with the tongue of men and of angels, and have not 
charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
And if I should give all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should 
deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth 
me nothing." I Corinthians, xiii. 

'' God is charitv. If we love one another, God abideth in us, 

*/ 7 7 

and his charity is perfected in us." 1 John, iv 



TWELFTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 457 

" Let US, therefore, love God, because God first hath loved us." 
1 John^ iv. 

" Behold, what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed on 
us, that we should be named, and should be the sons of God." 
1 Jolin^ ill. 

" I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength : the Lord is my fir- 
mament, my refuge, and my deliverer." Psalm^ xvii. 



TWELFTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON CHARITY. 

1st Point. Charity is a treasury of merit which enriches us; a 
treasury of grace, that sanctifies us ; a treasury of holiness, that 
renders us perfect ; a treasury of peace, that renders us happy. 

Charity efilices all sins, calms every passion, gives birth to every 
virtue, alleviates all pain, and renders us like unto God ; unites us 
intimately to Him, transforms us, so to speak, in to Him ; makes 
God all to us, and we all to Him. 

2d Point. Charity seeks not herself She loves, purely to love. 
Her love is her pleasure ; her happiness is her recompense. She 
is humble, patient, and obliging. She is not haughty, proud, dis- 
dainful, or envious ; she believes all, hopes for all, suffers all, and 
pardons all. Judge yourself by these effects, and see if you have 
one spark of charity. * 

Oh, charity of my God ! why dost Thou command me to love 
Thee ] why dost Thou not repel such a creature from the infinite 
privileges of Thy love ? What does it mean, not to love a God 
infinitely good ; a God who has loved us from all eternity ; a God 
who loves us gratuitously ; a God who loves us tenderly ; a God 
who loves us continually ; a God who is infinitely beautiful ; a 
God whose perfections are infinite ; a God who promises us infi- 
nite rewards ; a God who desires to render us holy, like unto 
himself; perfect as He himself is ; kings, who shall reign with Him 
forever ; happy in the participation of his bliss, and, in a manner, 
gods like himself? 

3d Point. And notwithstanding all this, I do not love Thee, 
God of all goodness. I am all on fire with love for creatures, 
and all coldness towards Thee. I am haughty, impatient, pas- 
sionate, envious, slanderous, sensual, and avaricious. I fear noth- 
20 



458 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ing, hope for nothing, suffer nothing, and pardon nothing. Alas ! 
how, then, shall I be saved since salvation is impossible without 
charity, of which I have not the least sign. 

Oh, my God ! I hate myself for having preferred miserable 
creatures to Thee ! Too late have I loved Thee, O beauty ever 
ancient and ever new ! Too long have I offended Thee, O good- 
ness, always amiable, and always despised ! I will never cease to 
praise Thee, to bless and to love Thee, and I implore Thee to de- 
prive me of life wiien I shall be in danger of the misery of not 
loving Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Now the end of the commandment is charity, from a pure 
heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith." 1 Thn- 
oihy^ i. 

"For charity covereth a multitude of sins." 1 Peter ^ iv. 

" If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his charity is 
perfected in us, . By this we know that w^e abide in Him, and Ho 
in us." 1 John^ iv. 

"For this is the charity of God, that we keep his command- 
ments." 1 John^ V. 

" He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth me." St, John^ xiv. 



TWELFTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE UNITY OF LOVE. 

1st Point. Love proceeds from unity, tends to unity, rests in 
unity, and is preserved by unity. A heart that is right cannot 
stray ; a pure heart cannot defile itself; a free heart cannot bind 
itself; a simple heart cannot divide itself " Woe to them that are 
of a double heart^^'' says an inspired writer, they do not love God 
nor are they beloved by Him. 

2d Point. A man cannot serve two masters. A heart cannot 
love God and the world ; the Creator and the creature. There 
can be only one soul to a body, one sun to a universe, one king 
to a dominion, one governor to a state, one shepherd to a flock, 
one pilot to a boat, one love to a heart, and one God to love. 

3d Point. You purpose to give Him a portion of your heart ? 
This is unjust, injurious, and impossible. What, did He create it 
only in part 1 Will He save it only in part 1 Has He given you 



TWELFTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 459 

only a part of his ? And why will you only give Him a small 
part of yours ? Is a creature's heart too much for a God ? Has 
He commanded you to give Him only half of your heart ? 

Oh, God of my heart ! I have not loved Thee up to the present 
time ; I have exalted creatures into divinities. In dividing my 
charity I have divided my faith ; I have lost both when I have 
not loved Thee. 

I will henceforth love Thee, O my God, with all my heart, all 
my strength, and all my soul. I will never again divide my af- 
fections ; since Thou art all to me, I will be all to Thee. Behold 
the will of my heart ; all to all, one to one, alone to alone. O 
my God ! Thou hast given me all thy mighty and illimitable 
heart ! can, I therefore, justly refuse Thee mine, which is so little 
and mean, but which Thou condescendest to desire *? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one 
and love the other; or he will hold to the one and despise the 
other." SL Matt, vi. 

'' How lonor do vou halt between two sides ? If the Lord be 
God, follow Him ; but if Baal, then follow him." 3 Kings^ xviii. 

" Woe to them that are of a double heart." jEJcclesiasticus, ii. 

" Their heart is divided : now they shall perish." Osee, x. 

" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and wilfc thy whole mind." St. Matt, xxii. 



TWELFTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR, PREFIGURED BY THE CHARITY 

OF THE SAMARITAN. 

1st Point. Charity presses you to love your neighbor. What- 
ever his defects may be, he is, like yourself, a creature of God ; 
formed after his own image, like you ; bought, with the precious 
blood of his divine Son, as you have been ; is a child of the Church, 
like you ; and is nourished and sanctified by the same sacraments 
that you are. 

2d Point. God commands you to love your neighbor as your- 
self; Jesus commands and beseeches you to do so. He considers 
as done to himself all the good and all the evil that is done to one 
of his creatures ; He has substituted him in his own place, to re- 



460 .' DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ceive your alms and the gratitude you owe himself. He has trans- 
ferred to him all ^he right that He has over your heart, and de- 
sires you to pay to your neighbor all that you owe himself 

8d Point. If I do not love my neighbor, I am not a disciple of 
Jesus Christ. I am not a Christian if I do not assist him ; God 
will despise me if I despise him ; hate me if I hate him ; afflict 
me if I afflict him. On the contrary, He will excuse me if I ex- 
cuse my neighbor ; He will support me if I support him ; He 
will pardon me if I pardon him ; He will treat me as I treat him. 
By the charity I have rendered him, I must be judged. 

What will be your judgment 1 what will become of you if God 
treats you as you have treated others 1 Do you not desire God 
to love you, do you good, and assist you in your necessities ? 
support you in your weakness excuse you, console, and pardon 
you ? Go and do likewise to your neighbor. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Love your neighbor as yourself" Si, Ltike^ x. 

" To love one's neighbor as himself is a greater thing than all 
holocausts and sacrifices." St. Mark^ xii. 

" Bear ye one another's burdens ; and so shall you fulfil the 
law of Christ." Galatians^ vi. 

"But before all things, have a mutual charity among your- 
selves : for charity covereth a multitude of sins." 1 Peter^ iv. 



TWELFTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON PARTICULAR FRIENDSHIPS AND NATURAL INCLINATIONS. 

1st Point. The Samaritan did not ask his wounded neighbor 
what country he was from, or whether he was a Greek or a bar- 
barian ; he did not transfer to others the duties of charity that 
he owed this man ; he did not say : It belongs to the priests and 
Levites to take care of, and heal this person, and not to me : I can 
do nothing. He did not make his ignorance of medicine serve as' 
a pretext to get off; he did not excuse himself on account of the 
peril he would expose himself to, of falling into the hands of the 
robbers if he stopped ; he did not spare his wine, oil, or silver. 
He placed him on his horse, and walked himself; he took him to 
a public house, and charged himself with his expenses while there. 
It is in this way that we ought to love all the world, without dif- 



TWELFTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 461 

ference or exception ; exclude none from our hearts, and do all 
the good we possibly can to the most miserable. To love only 
through inclination is to love like a beast ; to Tove according to 
our iuellnations is to love like a man ; to love without inclination 
is to love like a Christian ; to love against inclination is to love 
like a saint. 

2d Point. Christian charity embraces -all descriptions of per- 
sons, Jews, Samaritans, Greeks, barbarians. Christians, and pa- 
gans, the just and sinners, parents and strangers, friends and ene- 
mies, benefactors and malefactors, the good-tempered and the 
evil-tempered. The motives of charity proceed from one hidi- 
visible and universal love. If I love, for God's sake, him who 
pleases me, I must also love for his sake those who displease me, 
for both are the creatures of God, made to his image, both bought 
with his blood, both called to his glory. If, then, you say you 
love me, and not the other, you love none, for God is the cause 
and motive of all charity. 

3d Point. I cannot love all the world equally, but the law of 
charity imperatively commands me to hate none. Charity ought 
to prefer the parent to a stranger, the Catholic to a heretic, the 
just to a sinner, but she must take into her heart all mankind, ex- 
cluding no creature. Particular friendships are universal hatreds, 
unions of inclination in communities or families, are heresies of 
the heart. In proportion as you approach a person through ten- 
derness, you will withdraw yourself from others who have claims 
on your charity.* 



TWELFTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

4 
ON THE BAD EFFECTS OF PARTICULAR FRIENDSHIPS. 

1st Point. Are you a religious 1 Plow necessary, then, it is to 
preserve the union of charity. If you are all things to one mem- 
ber of your community, you are nothing to the others; your con- 
duct in their regard is unjust, inasmuch as you refuse them those 
marks of friendliness which are their due. In dividing the union 
of charity yon wound it. You make exceptions and dangerous 
distinctions. Led on by this partiality of hove, you soon come to 
despise regularity, you scandalize the community ; fly solitude, 
while retreat and silence become at first irksome, tben insupport- 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. ' 



462 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

able to you. You dare not present yourself before God, who re- 
proaches you for your hifidelities ; you waste your love on an 
idol, to whom you sacrifice all your thoughts ; your conversations 
are only so many murmurs against your superiors, you indulge 
m a spirit of detraction against your equals, and are betrayed into 
dangerous liberties ; you regard your lapses and trespasses with 
indifference ; your spirit is without recollection, your heart with- 
out devotion, your understanding without relish, your communions 
without fruits, your life without peace, and your labors without 
merit. 

2d Point. Oh, what astonishment and distress will lay hold on 
you at the hour of death, when you discover that you have never 
loved any one with a true charity ! For you have never loved 
any of your brethren for God's sake, if you have not loved them 
all without exception ; if you except one your love is simply hu- 
man and natural, and not Christian and divine. Oh, the time lost 
in these tender conversations ! oh, these dangerous intimacies ! 
oh, these useless discourses ! oh, this interchange of criminal 
thoughts ! 

3d Point. Love for God's sake all descriptions of persons ; for 
all are his creatures, his subjects, his children, his heirs, his mem- 
bers, and the purchasers of his blood. Love them because He 
loves them, and commands you to do so likewise ; love the just 
and virtuous most of all, but be careful to discipline and conceal 
your love, lest you should give cause for jealousy to others. 
Show a greater degree of affection towards those for whom you 
feel the most aversion. An act of charity is necessary to obtcU-in 
from God the pardon of your sins ; and you cannot more effectu- 
ally produce one than by doing good to them that you' dislike, 
and for whom you feel no affection. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"For there is no respect of persons with God." Romans^ ii. 

" That you may be the children of your Father who is in heav- 
en ; who maketh his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and 
raiaeth upon the just and the unjust." St. Matt, v. 

" And do you therefore love strangers ; because you also were 
strangers in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy^ x. 

" Have we not all one Father ? hath not one God created us 1 
Why, then, doth every one of us despise his brother ?" Mala- 
chias, ii. 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 463 

THIRTEENTH SUNDx\Y AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Lulce^ xvii. 11-19. 

" At that time, as Jesus Avas going to Jerusalem, He passed 
through the midst of Samaria in Galilee. And as He entered 
into a certain town, there met Him ten men that were lepers, who 
stood afar otf : and they lifted up their voice, saying : Jesus, Mas- 
ter, have mercy on us. Whom when He saw, He said : Go show 
yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass that, as they went, 
they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he 
was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. 
And he fell on his face, before his feet, giving thanks : and this 
was a Samaritan. And Jesus, answering, said : Were not ten 
made clean ] and where are the nine 1 There is no one found to 
return and give thanks to God, but this stranger. And He said 
to him : Arise, go thy way ; for thy faith hath made thee whole." 



llfiiitatmn. 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus is always passing along, and whithersoever 
He goes, He leaves marks of his goodness and divine compassion. 
St. Peter says : " He went about doing good, and healing all that 
ivere ojrpressed by the devil.'''' The true disciples of Jesus are 
bound, by his commands and his love, to imitate his example, 
and above all to show mercy and charity to all creatures. Wher- 
ever they may be they must heal the sick and cast out devils. 
They will find these objects of charity wherever they go ; in the 
company they associate with, in their journeyings, and in the 
throncred citv. Do vou labor for the salvation of sinners ? Their 
salvation often depends on a good word spoken in season. 

2d Point. Ten lepers approached Jesus. You will find an in- 
finitely greater number on the road. They are sinners who are 
going to present themselves to the priests who will heal them. 
The leper is a figure of actual and habitual sin. Actual sin dis- 
figures the soul, corrupts and cankers it ; and when it passes into 
habit, becomes incurable. Is this your state ? Are you not en- 
slaved by sins of habit ? Do you not feel sensible of your evil ] 
Are you a leper ] Go show yourself to the priest, and then 
present yourself to Jesus, who awaits you on the altar ! Do not 
be afraid to approach Him, He will cure you in touching you, 



464 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

provided that you have a true sorrow for your sins ; touch Him 
with faith, and receive Him with humility. 

There are two sorts of leprosies that afflict the soul ; one of the 
understanding, another of the will. The leprosy of the mind is 
self-judgment ; the leprosy of the will, self love. Either of these 
forms disfigure the soul, render it miserable, and in time, incura- 
ble. The leprosy of the mind makes a man heretical, rebellious, 
opiniated, disobedient, and attached to the evidence of his own 
senses, in preference to the testimony of others. The leprosy of 
the will, renders a man sensual, avaricious, attached to his own 
interests, ambitious, and impatient under all that happens to him 
contrary to his own desires. Are you not infected with this dreadful 
malady ? Do you not prefer your own judgment before that of 
your superiors ? Do you not seek your own ease too much ? 
Do you not fly from all mortification, and avoid every humilia- 
tion ? Do you not suffer with impatience the inconveniences of 
ill-health, sickness, and poverty ? 

3d Point. Tlie lepers presented themselves to Jesus because 
they were excluded from the city and the society of other men ; 
they were driven out into the wilderness, lest others, by contact 
with them, should suffer from the contamination of their loath- 
some disease. Do you separate yourself from the society of 
wicked, impure, and scandalous persons ? They are the lepers 
whose company is contagious to those who frequent it. There is 
no state more miserable than that of a diseased man, who is un- 
conscious of his danger ; but much more is he to be esteemed 
miserable who knows that he is sick, and does not desire to be 
cured. Are you not of this number 1 

The lepers knew all the evils of their state and desired to be 
healed, hence they came to Jesus ; but they did not say to Him, 
Cure us of our malady ; they lifted up their voices, saying : 
" Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,^^ Are you conscious of your 
leprosy ? Do you wish to be cured 1 Oh, the leprosy of the soul 
is an incomparably greater evil than that of the body. Present 
yourself to Jesus, for you are the object of his tender compassion. 
Ask Him to have mercy on you. He knoweth all your misery .; 
your humility and need are all powerful with Him, and He waity 
only to heal you. 



THIRTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 465 



THIRTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE CURE OF THE LEPERS. 

1st. Point. Jesus cast his eyes on the miserable and afflicted 
company, who standing afar off, besought his mercy. The look 
of Jesus is the beginning of all good. It convinced St. Peter of 
liis fault, and inspired him with true repentance and tender com- 
punction. If you have renounced the world, if you have changed 
your life, if you are no longer the slave of your passions, give 
thanks to Jesus who regarded you with an eye of compassion in 
your low estate. 

2d Point. Go, He said to them, show yourselves to the priests. 
They obeyed Him without question, and as they w^ent they were 
made clean. Oh admirable virtue of obedience which is produc- 
tive of such surprising miracles ! If you are not cured of your 
vices, it is to be feared that you have disobeyed your confessors 
and superiors. Jesus commanded them to show themselves to 
the priests, thereby showing a figure of the order He was about 
to establish in his Church, making it obligatory on all to confess 
their sins and evil habits to a priest. If you do not make known 
your maladies to those who are divinely authorized to heal them, 
what can you expect? Our Lord has made our salvation and 
perfection dependent on the obedience we render our confessors. 

3d Point. There are multitudes w^ho ask graces and favors of 
the Son of God, but only a few who return to thank Him after 
obtaining them. Of the ten lepers who were cured only one 
came back to thank Jesus, and he was a Samaritan. Ingratitude 
is a detestable vice, w^hich dries up wdthin us the fountain of God's 
mercies. How many graces have you received from our Lord ? 
Have you thanked Him for them wdth all your heart? That 
which is demanded of you is, that you should give glory to God, 
acknowledging that it is from Him that you receive all the good 
that you possess ; and offer Him, in return, all the love and obe- 
dience that your soul is capable of. He is infinitely rich, and has 
no need of you ; it is only an accidental glory that He can re- 
ceive from his creatures. He gives you all, and asks only your 
love, which is infinitely precious to Him. It w^as to receive the 
homage of your love that He created and placed you on earth 
and preserves } our life. Does He, your God, ask too much of 
his creature ? 
20* 



466 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Oh, ungrateful wretch that I am ! mstead of glorifying God, I 
have despised and dishonored Him ; instead of giving Him glory, 
I have taken to myself the glory of all the blessings I have re- 
ceived from Him ; not contented with His graces, I have sought 
to rob Him of l\is glory. Oh my God, what injustice ! Oh my 
soul, glorify God with the Blessed Virgin, and you, my spirit, 
shall rejoice in God your Saviour, for He has cast the eyes of his 
mercy on your baseness and misery ; He has done great and 
wonderful things for you : what, then, will become of you, if you 
do not attempt something great for Him ? 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE 

" I wrote to you in an epistle, not to keep company with forni- 
cators." 1 Corinthians^ v. 

" If any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, 
or a server of idols, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; 
with such a one, not so much as eat." Ibid. 

" But he that will be proud, and refuse to obey the command- 
ment of the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy 
God, that man shall die." Deuteronomy^ xvii. 

" He that hideth his sins shall not prosper: but he that shall 
confess and forsake them, shall obtain mercy." Proverbs, xxviii. 

" And Raphael said to Tobias : As soon as thou shalt come 
into thy house, forthwith 'adore the Lord thy God, and giving 
thanks to Him, go to thy father and kiss him." Tobias^ xi. 

" What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that He 
hath rendered to me ? I will take the chalice of salvation ; and I 
will call upon the name of the Lord." Psalm cxv. 



THIRTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON SICKNESS. 

1st Point. Why does God afflict you with sickness and ill 
health ? It is because He desires to draw his own glory from your 
acts of patience, love, and resignation, or to chastise you for your 
sins ; to prove your virtue, or to maintain you in humility ; to 
make you merit heaven, or bear part in the sufferings of his Son. 

You despondingly say : I can do nothing. You can do much 
if you suffer much. You gain more merit by suffering than others 



THIRTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 467 

do by acting. It is agreeable to nature to act, but not to suffer ; 
others work for you, and you suffer for them ; they honor God by 
their actions, and you by your sufferings. 

You well deserve all that you endure, and you merit much by 
endurance. You have acquitted yourself of the past, and laid up 
great treasures for the future. If God has deprived you of health, 
it is for your own sanctification. What wrong has He done you '? 
Of what do you complain ? He suffered for you, and you have 
now an opportunity to suffer for Him ; He bore your cross, and 
you will bear his. Does not this consideration greatly console 
you? 

2d Point. Your spirit is strong w^hen your body is w^eak ; your 
spirit is weak w4ien your body is strong. Suffering disgusts us 
with the pleasures of this life ; it makes us familiarize our thoughts 
with death, gives us a desire for it, reproves our ambition, puts 
to flight our irregular passions, it unites us to Jesus suffering, it 
lifts up our hearts to heaven, it gives us svfeet assurances of the 
love of God for us, and certain pledges of our salvation. 

My body, it is necessary to suffer in this w^orld or the next. 
If you have offended God by a voluntary indulgence in pleasure, 
you must satisfy Him by an endurance of pain that is contrary 
to your will. Since you are defiled by the transgressions you 
have committed in this life, you ought to make your purgatory 
here, that you may escape that in the w^orld to come. If you are 
not purified on earth, how will you enter heaven, where nothing 
defiled can find admission ? Oh terrible necessity, to sufter on 
earth or in hell ! You must choose one or the other. Consider 
w^hich of these two evils is the least, 

3d Point. Rejoice, my soul ! sickness has placed your body, 
which is your mortal enemy, under subjection. Behold it with- 
out strength or vigor ! It is no longer in a state to work out your 
ruin. You vnll now be consumed with a desire to suffer martyr- 
dom ; you will bless the tyrants that torment you. God has sub- 
stituted the sufferings and inconvenience of sickness, instead of 
tyrants and martyrdom. Suffer sweetly and with patience, and 
you will become a martyr of faith and charity. 

Oh my God, I deserve to be deprived of my health, since I 
have so long abused it by using it only to offend Thee. Oh I 
thank Thee for aftiicting me in time, giving me a sign thereby, 
that Thou wilt console me in eternity. Chastise me, dear Lord, 
during this life, provided Thou wilt show me grace and mercy 
after death. Make my body a victim of patience, and let it be 
immolated to thy power, thy love, and thy justice. Cut and 



468 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

scourge my flesh in time, if Thou wilt but spare me in eternity, 
and deliver me from the pains of hell. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"My son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself; but pray to the 
Lord, and He shall heal thee." Ucclesiasticiis^ xxxviii. 

'' Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am w^eak : heal me, O Lord, 
for my bones are troubled." Psalm vi. 

'• This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God." St, 
John^ xi. 

" Therefore Avill I take pleasure in my infirmities. . . . For 
w^hen I am weak, then I am powerful." 2 Corinthians^ xii. 

" Behold thou art made whole : sin no more, lest some worse 
thing happen to thee." St. John^ v. 



THIRTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



I 






ON FLYING FROM BAD COMPANY AND ALL OCCASIONS OF SIN. 

1st Point. Disguise yourself as you may, you will be known 
by the company you associate w^ith. Like seeks like. You are 
like unto those whose society you frequent. If you go to the 
houses of vicious persons, there is too much reason to fear that 
you are also vicious, or that you will soon become so. Persons 
are apt to frequent the company of those they love, and whom 
they wdsh to resemble. If, then, you choose the wicked for your 
companions, you, too, are Avicked. 

2d Point. Good example is always salutary and productive of 
excellent fruits; bad example is evil, and produces evil fruits. 
Ignorance and modesty are the two bulwarks of virtue. One is 
ignorant, for the most part, of those crimes which they have never 
seen committed. They inspire only horror and disgust, until the 
wicked are seen glorying and rejoicing in them. Would you de- 
sire to eat with a leper ? Is there any less danger in associating 
with the sinful and vicious ? But are you not, yourself, one of 
those *? Do you not give bad example to your neighbor ? do you 
feel your evil ? If you are sensible of it, how can you love it % 
if you are insensible to the evils and miseries of your state, you 
are an incurable leper. 

3d Point. Example as it w^ere ennobles crime, renders it just, 
proper, easy, necessary, and agreeable. One is ashamed to be in 



THIRTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 469 

iioccHit among the guilty, chaste among the impure, devout among 
libertines, a Christian among the impious. One has not courage 
to avoid a sin when it is supported by the example of the great. 
Are you not one of these masters of iniquity? Do you not give 
influence to vice by your scandals and had example? do you not 
teach your children and domestics evils of which they were igno- 
rant, and which reason detests and the law of God forbids and 
condemns? 

It is ill vain to hope to be good among the wicked. Evil is con- 
(:agious to nature ; it contracts it easily. The heart has a hanker- 
ing for it, and readily imitates what it sees practised ; it desires 
most of all those things which are forbidden. As^the body readily 
contracts disease by going into a tainted atmosphere, or visiting 
those who are suffering with an infectious complaint, so the soul 
inevitably contracts the poison of sin, and the infection of evil ex- 
ample, by associating with the wicked."* 



-•♦♦- 



THIRTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. All the damned in hell declare that bad example 
w^as the cause of their eternal loss. It is natural and easy to imi- 
tate those whom we esteem, to be pleased with those we love, and 
frequent the society of those who minister to our pleasure. You 
will never find pleasure W'ith the wricked unless you are also evil; 
it is necessary, then, to forsake or resemble them. 

Do not be deceived, and say there is no danger or wrong in 
frequenting the society of the wdcked, or that you can remain a 
lamb although you may live among wolves. Is not scandal a 
great evil ? Can one love and seek without sinning the proximate 
occasions of sin ? Who can believe you chaste, seeing that you 
associate with those w^ho are not ? As easily could a stream pre- 
serve the freshness of its waters in the midst of the sea, or a man 
live in the midst of pestilence and yet escape it. Alas, you are 
already dead if you do not fear that sickness of the soul which is 
unto eternal death ! 

2d Point. Example is a bad master. It teaches evil to those 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



470 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

who are ignorant of it, it persuades those to commit it who 
fear it, it ensnares those who would fly from it. One quickly 
learns that which he sees done, and speedily sets about doing 
what he learns. If you do not fly from the company of the wick- 
ed, occasions will not be wanting to make you sin ; their example 
\fill ensnare you, temptation will urge you, fear will diminish, 
grace will grow weaker, and your modesty be eflaced. After 
having sinned once or twice, habits of evil will be formed, custom 
will become a necessity, and necessity grow into contempt. Your 
understanding will become obscured, your heart hardened ; you 
will find your only pleasure in those things which displease God, 
and consider it honorable and courageous to offend and outrage 
his divine maiestv. Then vou will fall into obstinacy and final 
impenitence. 

3d Point. Christian soul, if your eye scandalize you pluck it 
out, if your foot or hand scandalize you cut it off^ Separate your- 
self from those who are as dear to you as your eyes, as useful to 
you as your feet, and as necessary as your hands, if they have 
been an occasion of scandal to you. Do not attach yourself to 
those whose example you cannot imitate. Do not, at the peril of 
your soul, imitate those whom you ought not to love. Strive not 
to please those who displease God ; have courage, and do not be 
afraid to displease them by persevering in your eflbrts to please 
Him. Fly from those who are separated from God, and conceive 
a great horror for all who despise God, and who are hated by 
Him. You have grace to abstain from all dangerous occasions of 
sin ; if you find yourself therein, you have grace to fly ; but if 
you remain, will your grace be sufficient to keep you from fall- 
ing 1 Is it not presumption to promise yourself grace sufficient 
not to fall into sin ] Trust not yourself in these occasions of sin, 
where your weakness will have to cope with a strong and power- 
ful enemy, Satan, who is almost invincible because he spreads 
snares to entangle the unwary soul ere he destroys it. He who 
loves danger shall perish therein. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Be not a friend to an angry man ; and do not walk with a 
furious man : lest, perhaps, thou learn his ways, and take scan- 
dal to thy soul." Proverbs, xxii. 

" He that hath fellowship with the proud, shall put on pride." 
Ecclesiasticus, xiii. 

" Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch noth 
ing of theirs, lest you be involved in their sins." Numbers^ xvi. 



THIRTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 471 

" And if thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out." >S'^. 
Matt, V. 

" And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking 
disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have re- 
ceived of us." 2 Thessalonians^ iii. 



THIRTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON CHASTITY. 

1st Point. The leprosy is a filthy disease which corrupts the 
flesh, and is a figure of that vice of impurity, which St. Paul re- 
fers to, but does not name. This leads us to make a meditation 
on the virtue which is opposed to it. 

Jesus has a peculiar love for virgins ; He chose for his mother, 
a y<^>ung virgin and one who continued always a virgin ; He 
cherished among his disciples those who were virgins ; He is fol- 
lowed whithersoever He goeth in heaven, by a great and glorious 
company of virgins, '"'' purchased from among inen^ the first fruits 
to God and to the Lamh^'' who " are without spot before the throne 
of God:' 

2d Point. A virgin resembles an angel ; her soul is the spouse 
of Jesus Christ ; her body has a particular right to a glorious im- 
mortality. There are resplendent thrones in heaven, near the 
throne of the Lamb, for those virgins who follow Him on earth. 
Their glory shall far transcend the pain and difficulty of their con- 
flicts. 

Oh, what greater treasure than that of undefiled chastity. But 
it is a difficult virtue ; and in order to preserve it, it is necessary 
to be humble and chaste. God humbles the proud ; He suffers 
them to fall into shameful sins ; He chastises the spirit through 
the body, and suffers to be clothed with the likeness of beasts, 
those who go astray from Him. 

To govern well, it is essential to have learned the science of 
obedience. To be a good master, one must have been a good 
subject. The body is submissive to an obedient spirit ; it readily 
yields to the power of a submissive soul, but it revolts against a 
rebellious one. The spirit which is disobedient to its superiors, 
loses all control over its inferiors. 

3d Point. To be chaste it is necessary to mortify the body 



472 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

A servant who is too much indulged and pampered, revolts against 
his master. Flesh meat becomes corrupt if it is not well salted. 
Those who have no sorrow, and feel no grief, think only of pleas- 
ure and the gratification of their senses. 

To be chaste, it is necessary to guard the eyes and mortify the 
senses ; it is necessary to fly all dangerous conversations. How 
can you avoid having evil thoughts, if you are always in bad com- 
pany 1 The spirit, indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak. Watch 
and pray, lest you enter into temptation. 

Oh my God, let me rather fall into hell than fall into the sin 
of impurity ! The lires which consume the damned would be 
more supportable to me than the flames of concupiscence. Oh, I 
have reason to fear pride, since it plunges one into the infamous 
sin of impurity. I wish to be humble and chaste ; I wish to obey 
my superiors, and hold my inferiors in subjection. Give me 
grace, O Lord, that I may be governed by the higher powers of 
my soul, mind and heart ; and hold under subjection my will and 
passions. ^^ 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And incorruption bringeth us near to God." Wisdom^ vi. 

" Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, 
whom Jesus loved." Si. John^ xiii. 

"These are they who were not defiled : for they were virgins. 
These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." Apocalypse^ xiv. 

" For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 
Wherefore, God gave them up to the desires of their heart, to 
uncleanness : to dishonor their own bodies among themselves." 
Romcois, i. 



THIRTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON ZEAL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. 

" There is no one found lo rdurn and give thanks to God but this 
stranger.'''' St. Luke, xvii. 

1st Point. Glory belongs alone to God. He condescends to 
let us participate with Him in all his treasures, but this He re 
serves for himself. It is the oulv thins: He can receive from us. 
He desires that we should give Him glory. Is there any thing 
more glorious than for a creature to give something to God '? He 



THIRTEENTH SATURDAY ..FTER PENTECOST. . 473 

honors those who honor Him ; He glorifies those who glorify 
Him. He renders glorious on earth, and in heaven, those who glo- 
rify Him. 

2d Point. We were created that we might glorify God. It 
was for this that He has given us being ; it was for this that He 
preserves us by his providence. He desires us to love Him, and 
to make Him known and loved to all the earth. God made all 
tilings for his own glory. What an honor it is for man to be al- 
lowed to work for the same end that God does! What injustice 
to refuse Him a right legitimatefy his own, and of which no one 
can rob Him ! 

3d Point. " The heavens^"' says the Psalmist, " show forth the 
glory of God,'''' The sun, the moon, and stars, utter speech of 
his glory. The birds of the air sing his praises ; the fish of the 
sea, although they are dumb, bless and adore Him ; all creatures 
sacrifice themselves to his glory ; and shall man, the most highly 
privileged of them all, instead of giving Him praise and glory, 
outrage and injure Him ? Do you insolently endeavor to rob God 
of that which He reserves for himself alone ? Are you not more 
haughty and ambitious than Lucifer % Glorify and praise God for 
this beautiful world that He has created. Consider yourself as 
the organ and interpreter of all creatures, through which they 
may bless their Creator. Return Him thanks, and praise Him 
in the name of all creatures who have not known Him ; supply, 
by your zeal for his glory, the defects of those who do not love 
Him, of sinners who dishonor Him, and of the damned who are 
lost to Him, and of all the devils who blaspheme Him. Praise 
and glorify God in the name of all the angels of heaven, the blessed 
in paradise, and the just on earth. Render Him thanks for all his 
blessings and chastisements, for all joy and sorrow, for all grief 
and consolation. Proclaim, under every adversity, that He is 
good, that He is just, that He is holy. Be not like those who bless 
Him when He sends them good, and murmur when He afflicts 
them. Bless Him at all times and seasons, but chiefly in adver- 
sity. This is the greatest glory that you can give Him. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" There is no one found to return and give thanks to God but 
this stranger." St, Luke,, xvii. 

'• With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts." 
3 Klngs^ xix. 

'' If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing : it is my Father that 
glorifieth me.'* St, John,^ viii. 



474 ' DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" May the glory of the Lord endure forever." Psalm cxiii. 

'• For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God." 
Si. John^ xii. 

" Our Father who art m heavfen, hallowed be thy name." St, 
Matt, vi. , 



SECOND OF JULY. 
FEAST OF THE VISITATION. 

ON THE MYSTERY. 

1st Point. Jesus visited St. John, his precursor. Learn of 
Ilim humility. Our Blessed Lady visited her cousin, St. Eliza- 
beth. Learn of her charity and humility. It was through the 
voice of Mary that Jesus sanctified the mother and son ; for it 
came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, 
the infant leaped in her womb : and she was filled with the Holy 
Ghost. The word of Mary was an instrument and channel of 
Cfrace which gave sight to a blind man, delivered a captive, raised 
him that was dead to life, and justified a sinner. Jesus applied 
through her the first fruits of the redemption to man. She con- 
ceived spiritually a man, after having spiritually conceived a God. 
She became the mother of mankind, after having become the 
mother of God. 

2d Point. Learn from this mystery. Christian soul, that Mary 
is the usual channel throuiJ^h which graces descend from heaven to 
earth. God, as the Father, refuses nothing to the Son, and grants 
nothing to men only in consideration of his merits ; the Son re- 
fuses nothing to his Mother, and grants us his graces in considera- 
tion of her merits and prayers. Jesus is the source of all graces ; 
Mary is the reservoir Avhich receives them, and from w^hence they 
flow out over the body of the Church. On this day, which the 
Church celebrates, she became a channel of grace and a channel 
of mercy ; of grace in regard to St. Elizabeth, of mercy in regard 
to St. John ; of grace for the just, of mercy for sinners. 

3d Point. Are you of the number of the just ? Are you a sin- 
ner? If you are justified, thank our Blessed Lady for obtaining 
for you the grace of justification ; if you are a sinner, implore her 
to obtain for you the grace of penitence and a true conversion. 
Consider the obligations you are under to Mary. Where would 
you be at this moment if she had not arrested the arm of God's 



SECOND CF JUJiY. 475 

justice, which was raised to punish you according to your merits 1 
Say, then, a hundred times a day : ''' Hail to thee, full of grace ; 
the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women. ''^ Say, 
with St. Elizabeth : " Blessed is the fruit of thy loomhy Say, 
with the Holy Church : '• Holy Mary^ Mother of God^ pray for 
us sinners^ now and at the hour of our deaths Do not be 
satisfied with praying; but iinitate the virtues she practised in 
this visit. She was tlie Mother of God, and she lowered herself 
to render service to a creature. She left her solitude by the di- 
rection of the Holy Ghosi. From the time that she conceived 
our Lord she has been animated with an ardent zeal for the salva- 
tion of souls. She went with alacrity, because virgins ought not 
to be afraid of appearing in public. She went to the mountains 
because great souls always elevate themselves on high, and aspire 
to the greatest perfection. She did not stop or loiter on the road, 
but steadily advanced. She overcame all the difficulties of her 
journey. Charity animated her, and made her run to relieve the 
necessities of her neighbor. She saluted "her cousin, and as soon 
as she had spoken, St. John leaped for joy, and both mother and 
son were filled with the Holy Ghost. 

4th Point. Let your speech resemble our Blessed Lady's, and 
your words shall become a species of sacrament which will pro- 
duce grace in the hearts of those to whom you address them ; 
your tongue shall be the organ and instrument of the Holy Ghost. 
Alas ! is it not rather the organ and instrument of the devil 1 It 
does not produce grace in the hearts of those who hear you ; not 
life, but death which is eternal. Oh, pernicious tongue ! more 
dangerous on earth than fire, poison, or sword. Make your con- 
versation holy and useful to your neighbor ; and when you hear 
yourself praised give all the glory to God. Recite w^ith respect 
and devotion, every day, the beautiful canticle of our Blessed 
Lady : " My soul doth magnify the Lord,'''' 

To honor this mystery, and imitate the immaculate Virgin, 
visit, as she did, those who are in prison ; for St. John was, as it 
were, in prison, and the slave of sin and death ; assist the miser- 
able, console the afflicted, deliver captives, and be the means of 
the sanctification of sinners. Be a father and mother of grace to 
their souls ; be a father and mother of mercy to their bodies. If 
you have conceived Jesus in the solitude of your heart, if you are 
filled with the Holy Ghost, you will be on fire with zeal for the 
glory of God and the salvation of souls ; but remember, it is 
necessary to be full, in order to diffuse your plenitude ; it is 
necessary to be all to God to draw others to his service. 



476 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Oh Mother of grace ! visit us often v/ith thy Son our Saviour, 
Thou art not wanting in grace, because the angel of God has as- 
sin-ed us that thou art filled ; thou art not wanting in mercy, since 
it erected its throne in thy womb and remained with thee nine 
months. Exercise it, through thy clement power, on one who is 
blind, a captive, and a sinner enveloped in darkness. Enlighten 
my soul with the light of filth. Deliver me from the captivity 
of the devil and my passions. Restore to it the life which it has 
forfeited by sin, and fill it with the Spirit of thy Son ; make thy 
voice heard in the recesses of my heart, that my soul may give 
forth signs of life, a life sweet, strong, and eflicacious. Speak but 
one word, and my heart shall be healed of all its diseases ; for 
thou hast the word of God, who has given life to the w^orld. Oh 
Mary, Mother of God ! oh Mary, Mother of grace ! oh Mary, 
Mother of mercy ! defend us against our strong enemy, and as 
sist our souls at the hour of death. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He hath visited 
and wrought the redemption of his people." SL Luke, i. 

"Through the bowels of the mercy of our God : in which the 
Orient, from on high, hath visited us : to enlighten them that sit in 
darkness, and in the shadow of death : to direct our feet in the 
way of peace." Ibid, 

" Visit u- vtith thy salvation." Psalm cv. 

" And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation 
of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb : and Elizabeth was filled 
with the Holy Ghost." St. Luke, i. 

" Behold, my beloved speaketh to me : Arise, make haste, my 
love, my beautiful one, my dove, and come." Canticles^ ii. 



FIFTEENTH OF AUGUST. 

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTIOJS^ OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



ON THE DEATH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN". 

1st Point. There are three things which render the chalice of 
death bitter : the loss of the world, the separation of the soul from 
its body, and the account it is necessary to render to God. The 
loss of the world produces sadness ; the separation of the soul 



FIFTEENTH OF AUGUST. 477. 

from the body produces grief; and the account which must inev- 
itably be rendered at the tribunal of Justice, produces fear. Does 
not this consideration make you fear death 1 

2d Point. Our Blessed Lady died without fear; she died with- 
out sadness ; she died without grief. She died without fear, be- 
cause she had li\^ed without sin ; she died without sadness, because 
she had lived without attachment to creatures ; she died without 
grief, because she had lived without pleasure on earth. 

Oh, let me die the death of the just, and let my last end be like 
Mary's. Live as the just live, and your end, like theirs, will be 
peaceful and happy. Live like Mary, and your death will resem- 
ble hers. Do you wish to die without fear? live w^ithout sin. 
Do vou wish to die without sadness? live without attachment. 
Do you wish to die without grief? live without pleasure ; for one 
leaves without pain that which he has not loved ; and separates 
himself with joy from that which he has despised. 

Deceive not yourself, Christian soul ! If you live as sinners do, 
your death shall be like theirs, without peace or hope. If you live 
imder the dominion of an ill-regulated heart, you will die in 
great confusion of mind. If you live in sin, you will die in fear ; 
if you live in pleasure, you will die in grief. Eemember my 
words, that which is your delight in life will be your torment in 
death ; that which constitutes your sorrow in life will prove your 
consolation in death. 

oD Point. Oh, most holy Virgin ! oh. Mother of God and men, 
my only hope after thy Son Jesus ! it matters not to me what 
manner of, death I shall die, for death will present no terrors to 
my soul if I die in a state of grace, and expire in thy arms. This 
shall be my strong hope, because I am determined to devote my- 
self to thy service, knowing thou wilt not suffer thy servants to 
perish, and wilt help all who have the honor of serving Thee ! As- 
sist, then, at my death, as Thou didst at the death of thy divine 
Son. Having seen the Chief of the predestined die. Thou w^ilt re- 
ceive in thy compassionate arms all the predestined. 

4th Point. Behold and accept the resolutions that I have 
formed. I wish most earnestly to detach myself from the world, 
that I may die without sadness ; I wish to afflict and mortify my 
body,, that I may die without pain ; to abstain from sin, that I 
may die without fear. I wish to live a suffering life, that I may 
die happily ; I wish to live in labors, that in my death I may find 
sweet rest ; I wish to live a child of Mary's, that I may die one of 
the predestined ; I wish to live in grace, that I may die in grace. 



478 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



^ORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I conjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my be- 
loved, that you tell him that I languish with love." Canticle^ v. 

" Love is as strong as death.'' Canticle^ viii. ^ 

" Let my soul die the death of thS just, and my last end be like 
to them." Numbers^ xxiii. 

"The death of the wicked is very evil." Psalm xxxiii. 

" Strength and beauty are her clothing : and she shall laugh i • 
the latter day." Proverbs^ xxxi. 

" Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." St, Liike^ xxiii 



FOR THE SAME DAY. 

ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, 

1st Point. Our Blessed Lady is the most pure of all creatures; 
she ought, "then, to be incorruptible. Her flesh was never soiled 
by any sin ; she ought, then, to be exempt from decay. Her 
body was the temple of the august Divinity ; it ought, then, to be 
holy and unprofaned. She w as the best of all mothers, and ought, 
then, to be in the company of her divine Son, and reign w^ith Him 
in heaven. 

2d Point. If the body of Jesus gives to those w^ho eat it a par- 
ticular and glorious resurrection, w4io ought to rise if not she who 
gave unto Him that body ; and if He declares to us that it is his 
will that his servants should be in heaven with Him, where ought 
his holy and immaculate Mother be? If this grace has been 
granted to slaves, w^ho will doubt that the Queen of heaven has 
been favored likewise. Each one will gather that which they have 
saved : he who sows in corruption shall reap corruption ; and 
those who sow in the Spirit, as our Blessed Lady did, ought they 
not to reap incorruption ? 

3d Point. Mary, like her divine Son, tasted death; like Him, 
she w^as laid in a sepulchre, and came forth from it like Him, 
and through Him, victorious over death and clothed in immor- 
tality. VVhy did she die ? Because she wished to imitate Him, 
and drink of his chalice ; because it was necessary to convince 
men that she was not an angel, but a woman ; not a divinity, but 
a creature. She wished to encourage us to suffer death, and make 
us merit, conjointly with her Son, the grace of dying well. 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 479 

4th Point. Why was she buried in a sepulchre ? To imitate 
her Son, to render her death and resurrection certain, to sanctify 
the earth by the sacred deposit of her body ; but she arose again 
to give us an assurance that we also shall one day rise from the 
grave, and to impart a new lustre to paradise, of which her body 
is the most glorious and magnificent ornament. 

Oh, my glorious Queen, nay whole heart and soul revolt, and 
refuse to believe that thy body, the most holy of all bodies, be- 
came the prey of worms and corruption, and that thou wert a 
slave to death, whose empire thou didst destroy ! 

Oh what a precious jewel in the sight of God is purity ! and 
oh, how impurity is offensive and displeasing to Him ! Why, 
oh ye women of the world, do you take such infinite pains to 
prepare food for the worms of the grave ? Flesh which is not 
well salted shall be consumed by corruption, and the body that 
is not mortified, shall be given a prey to death and rottenness. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; nor wilt Thou give thy 
holy one to see corruption." Psalm xv. 

" I have slept, and have taken my rest : and I have risen up, 
because the Lord hath protected me." Psalm iii. 

" For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. 
For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap cor- 
ruption : but he that soweth in the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap 
life everlasting." Galatians^ vi. 

"Thou art all fair, O my love; and there is not a spot in 
thee." Canticles^ iv. 

" Ck)me from Libanus, my spouse ; come from Libanus, come ; 
thou shalt be crowned from the top of Sanir and Hermon." Ibid. 

^' Who is this, that cometh up from the desert, flowing with do- 
lights, leaning upon her beloved *?" Canticles^ viii. 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St Matthew, vi. 24-33. 

" At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : No man can serve 
two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other : 
or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot 
serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicit- 
ous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you 



480 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body 
more than the rahnenf? Behold the birds of the air, for they 
neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your 
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value 
than they ? and which of you, by taking thought, can add to his 
stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? 
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow : they labor not, 
neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon 
in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. And if the 
grass of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the 
oven, God doth so clothe : how much more you, O ye of little 
faith ? Be not solicitous, therefore, saying, w^hat shall we eat, or 
what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed ? For 
after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father 
knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye, there- 
fore, first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things 
shall Hbe added unto you." 



ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. A body can have only one head; a kingdom can 
have only one king ; a woman can have only one husband, and a 
man only one master ; if he has two, he will love one and hate 
the other. You cannot, then, serve God and the world, Jesus 
Ciirist and Satan. If you love the world you will necessarily 
hate Jesus Christ. Examine your heart and see whether it is 
divided, and ascertain which master you serve. If it is Jesus, it 
is necessary to be all to Him, for He will not accept a divided 
heart ; He desires all or none. 

2d Point. Jesus is your only master ; it is He who has created 
you, and bought you with his blood. He is infinitely beautiful, 
rich, sweet, perfect, liberal and good ! He loves you with all the 
power of his great, and infinitely magnificent heart ; He has done 
you infinite good in this life, and promises you infuiite glory in 
the life to come. Does He not merit your love 1 Is He not en- 
titled to your service by an indisputable right ? Keep, then, his 
commandments, and detach your affections from creatures, be- 
cause it is impossible to serve two masters. 

3d Point. If you are not to Jesus, it follows that you must be 
to Satan, who is a barbarous tyrant, a frightful monster, a cruel 
spirit, a violent and sanguinary master, and the greatest enemy 
you have in the world. Which of these do you choose to serve ? 



FOURTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 48 1 

Pilate was horrified when he found that the Jews preferred Ba- 
rabbas to Christ ; and you prefer Satan, a thief, a murderer from 
the beginning, and a seditious and rebellious spirit, to the Lord of 
lite, your Saviour and King. 



FOURTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SERVICE OF GOD, 



1st Point. Those who serve God in spirit and in truth, are 
truly happy and always contented. The inexpressible peace that 
they enjoy, is the best proof of their belonging to the service of a 
Master who asks nothing unjust or unreasonable of them, but who 
on the contrary, makes all the commandments profitable to them, 
and establishes them in peace. He does their will, because they 
do his ; He treats them as his children, makes them eat at his 
table, and lets them want for nothing ; He watches over all their 
cares, and gives them the princes of his kingdom to lead them ; 
He defends them in their combats, instructs them in their doubts, 
consoles them in their pains, and assists them in all their necessi- 
ties. He loves them so tenderly that he has given his life for 
them, and shares with them his crown. 

2d Point. The servants of the devil are miserable. They 
have rest neither in this life or the life to come ; they are slaves 
to their passions, and are never contented. They are always ag- 
itated by fears and desires, and always at variance with God, with 
men, and with themselves. There is no rest for the wicked, saith 
the Lord.. If they assure you that they are at peace, do not credit 
them, for they are the enemies of God, who war against Him and 
to whom peace is an utter impossibility. 

8d Point. Ah, well, my soul ! do you wish to be always mis- 
erable? Are you not convinced, by your own experience, that 
there is no happiness in displeasing God ? Is He not your Father, 
your King, and your Master ? What have you gained in the ser- 
vice of the devil ? How unjust to be at war with your king ! 
What ingratitude to fight against your own good, to trample under 
foot the most priceless benefits ! What treachery to give your 
services to the enemy ! What madness and blindness to prefer 
the service of Satan, the most detestable of all creatures, who can 
neither love you nor do you good, to God, your legitimate king, 
who loves you infinitely, who has loaded you with blessings, and 
21 



482 DEVOUT MEDITiTIONS. 

who will render you eternally happy ! Which of the two will you 
choose, Jesus or Barabbas, God or the devdl ? 

Oh, Jesus, my Lord ! I desire no master but Thee. Thou shalt 
forever be the king of my heart, and the object of my love. Let 
the ambitious declare, they will have no king but Caesar ; let the 
avaricious cry out, that they will have no king but gold ; let the 
voluptuous publish, that they will have no other divinity than the 
flesh ; as for me, I will always, in time and in eternity, say, that 
Jesus is my king, my God, and my master! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Because the Lord your God, He is the God of gods and the 
Lord of lords, a great God, and mighty, and terrible." Deuter- 
onortiy^ x. 

'' If, then, I be a Father, where is my honor ? and if I be a 
Master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi- 
as, i. 

" He is a jealous God." Exodus, xxxiv. 

" Come not to Him with a double heart." Eccles. i. 

" A heart that goeth two ways shall not have success ; and the 
perverse of heart shall be scandalized therein." Eccles, iii. 

" Whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who 
is called Christ?" SL Matt, xxvii. 

" Not this man, but Barabbas." St. John, xviii. 

" I have brought up children and exalted them ; but they have 
despised me." Isaias, i. 



FOURTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE OBLIGATIONS WE ARE UNDER TO SERVE GOD. 

1st Point. Because God is the first and most glorious of all 
beings ; because He has formed me with his hands, and created 
me to his own image ; because He has made me to serve Him, 
delivered me from the hell 1 merited, given his life for me, nour- 
ished me with his own flesh, animated me with his spirit, sancti- 
fied me through his grace, and promises me his glory, I will be all 
to Him, and never serve any other master. 

2d Point. He has loved me from all eternity, and burns un 
ceasingly with a love that is past all human understanding for me. 



FOURTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 483 

He has done me infinite good ; He has pardoned me infinite 
crimes. In giving me his Holy Spirit, He has given me his heart, 
and has implored me to give Him mine. I shall never know 
peace, if 1 am not all to Him. He desires only my good, and it 
is only to render me happy that He wishes me to love Him. He 
gives himself all to me, without division. To serve Him is more 
honorable than to reign. I shall be eternally miserable if I do 
not serve Him. Oh, I wish, then, to be all to Him ! I wish to 
have no other master than God ! 

3d Point. The world is deceitful, its grandeurs imaginary, its 
goods perishable, its pleasures false, impure and short lived. It 
rewards those who serve it with mortal vexations, and an eternity 
of sufferings after death. God is the best of all masters ; the devil 
the most wicked and merciless. Oh, 1 wish, then, to serve God, 
to love Him with all my heart, keep his commandments, and sac- 
rifice myself to his glory. 

Oh, my God ! let me cease to live, if I do not desire to live for 
Thee ; combat my desires, if I wish for any other good than Thee ; 
make me miserable, if I seek any other joy than Thee. Is it a 
small honor to serve so glorious and magnificent a king ? Is there 
any other master from whom I can hope for such a vast reconi 
pense? Can 1 hope for any thing more sweet, more rich, more 
powerful, more just and amiable, than Thee, O my God] I will, 
then, serve because 1 love Thee ! I desire no other recompense 
than the honor of having served Thee. All creatures are subject 
to, and serve me; and shall I refuse to serve Thee? Their 
lives are sacrificed to preserve mine ; and shall I withhold the of- 
fering of mine to thy glory ? It is*no profit to them to have 
served me ; but I cannot serve Thee without recompense. Whc 
will not, then, serve Thee 1 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen^ 
the seed of Abraham my friend. In whom I have taken thee from 
the ends of the earth, and from the remote parts thereof have 
called thee, and said to thee : Thou art my servant ; I have chosei: 
thee, and have not cast thee away." Isaias, xli. 

"Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside for I am thy 
God : I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right 
hand ofi^my just One hath upheld thee." Ibid. 

" I am thine, save Thou me." Psalm cxviii. 

" Whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's." Ro' 
mans, xiv. 



484 • - DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" For you are bought with a great price." 1 Corinthians^ vi. 

" I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid." Fsalm exv. 

" Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joy and 
gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things : thou shalt serve 
thy enemy, whom the Lord will send upon thee, in hunger, in 
thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all things : and he shall put 
an iron yoke upon thy neck, till he consume thee." Deuterono- 
my^ xxviii. 



FOURTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

"ybw cannot serve God and mammon^'^ 

1st Point. The avaricious are devoid of faith; their sentiments 
are contrary to the Gospel. Jesus declares the poor blessed; but 
the avaricious pronounce them miserable. Jesus declares the rich 
miserable, and the avaricious esteem them happy. Any one who 
really believes that the poor are happy, would doubtless wish to 
be poor himself And again, if he believes that the rich are mis- 
erable, he would not wish to be rich. Faith is opposed to the 
passion of avarice. To preserve one, it is necessary to divest 
one's self of the other. If you wish to preserve faith, you must 
renounce avarice. 

2d Point. The avaricious do not hope for the goods of another 
life, for who can hoper for those things which they place no faith 
in % If they believe that trfie riches are in heaven, why do they 
not make some effort to acquire them % They are indifferent con- 
cerning the existence of a God, because they expect nothing from 
Him. This is the reason why the}^ never pray; or, if they do, it 
is to appear what they are not. What can the rich hope for, 
when the poor accuse them before God ? Do they not idolize 
their gold ] Do they not sacrifice all their thoughts, energies, and 
mind to it? Do they not place their confidence, and establish 
their happiness in it % Examine yourself, and see if you are not 
one of these impious, unfaithful, and idolatrous persons. What 
are your thoughts ? Whither do your desires tend % Why do 
you give yourself so much trouble and disquietude? 

3d Point. The avaricious are without charity ; their heart is 
with their treasure. Can a person serve two masters? Can 
one love God and mammon ? Cupidity destroys charity. The 
cupidity of riches is infinite ; it occupies the heart exclusively and 



FOURTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 485 

allows no di\^sion thereof. Oh, it is difficult to realize great gains 
without committing great injustice. Those who wish to enricli 
themselves, always imagine that they are poor ; they take all they 
can get, and return nothing that they take. Their nature is satis- 
fied with moderation, but the passion which possesses them is in- 
satiable, and sets no bound to its desires. Legitimate gains are 
few ; those that are great are often the result of great frauds and 
accumulated acts of injustice. How, then, can the rich, who are 
without faith, hope, or charity, be saved ] 



FOURTEENTH THUESDAY AETER PENTECOST. 

ON THE MISFORTUNE OF RICHES. 

1st Poin't. Without penance and good works, there is no salva- 
tion. The avaricious cause poverty, but assist not the victims 
thereof; they labor to make others miserable, but do not assist 
them in their misfortunes and misery ; they commit infinite sins, 
but this degrading passion deprives them of the knowledge or 
consciousness thereof, and prevents their conceiving a sorrow for 
them. All their frauds appear just and innocent, as stolen waters 
are sweeter, says the wise man, than those which we are permitted 
to use. It is a difficult thing to restore that which has cost some 
trouble to take. As all the evil passions of nature contribute to 
instigate and effect a theft, so do they all contend in its defence. 
Without restitution, all hopes of pardon are vain. 

2d Point. Is not your heart a slave to this passion? have you 
not too great a desire for riches ? are you rich 1 do you wish to 
be so? if you are rich, it will be easier for a camel to pass 
through the eye of a needle, than for you to enter into the king- 
dom of heaven. If you desire riches, you will fall into tempta- 
tion, and, perhaps, into hell. What ! will you damn yourself for 
perishable goods, which tear and consume the heart in life, and 
cause eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth after death ? You 
brought nothing into the world, and it is certain that you will 
carry nothing out of it. 

3d Point. Blessed is he who contents himself with God ; woe 
unto him whom God cannot content. Gold and silver are the 
gods of the Gentiles, but the God of heaven is mine. It is in Him 
that I hope, for Him that I labor, and in Him I rest. " O my 



486 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

God!" I say with St. Paulinus, " all the possessions of this world 
can neither disturb or torment nie, for Thou knowest where my 
treasure is. Thou also knowest that my heart is with it." I shall 
be rich if I am contented, but I can never be contented if I am 
rich. I must, then, seek all my contentment in loving and serv- 
ing Thee, for all else is only illusion, deceit, and vanity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Labor not to be rich : but set bounds to thy prudence." 
Proverbs^ xxiii. 

" The eye of the covetous man is insatiable in his portion of 
iniquity : he will not be satisfied till he consume his own soul, 
drying it up." Ecclesiasticus^ xiv. 

'' For they who would become rich fall into temptation, and 
into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hi^rt- 
ful desires, which drown men in destruction and perdition." * 1 
Timothy^ vi. 

" For covetousness is the root of all evils ; which some desiring 
have erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in many 
sorrows." Ibid, 

" There is not a more wicked thing, than to love money : for 
such a one setteth even his own soul to sale." Ecclesiasiicus^ x. 

" How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the king- 
dom of God. For it is easier for a camel to pass through the 
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of 
God." St. Luke^ xviii. 



FOURTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD FOR THE NECESSARIES OF LIFE.. 

1st Point. Why trouble yourself concerning the necessaries of 
life ? Does not God know all that you need ? Can He not sup- 
ply your every want? Do you believe that He will be so un- 
merciful as to refuse you that which is necessary 1 Where is 
there a father so unnltural as to refuse to provide food and cloth- 
ing for his children ? If they ask bread of him, will he give them 
a stone or a serpent ] You do not doubt that God will give you 
eternal possessions in the life to come ; how, then, can you doubt 
that He will supply the temporal necessities of this ? You be- 
lieve without hesitation that He will give you his kingdom, and 



FOURTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 487 

do you doubt that He will give you bread 1 Will He who gives 
so much refuse so little 1 

2d Point. Jesus commands you not to be troubled concerning 
the necessities of the body. "Is not the life!!'' saith He, "more 
than meat^ and the body more than raiment P Will He who 
gave you a soul before you came into the world, refuse to give 
you nourishment for your body ? and He who has given you a 
body, will He refuse you wherewith to clothe it ? The birds of 
the air neither sow nor reap, nor do the lilies of the field toil or 
spin, notwithstanding which God provides them with all that is 
necessary, although He is not their Father in the same sense that 
He is yours ; and do you believe that He who provides so care- 
fully for a plant or bird which he created for his children, will re- 
fuse whatsoever they need to these same children] 

3d Point. It is in vain that you torment yourself to amass 
riches. x\s you cannot add one cubit to your stature, you will be 
unable to increase your fortune, or multiply your goods, unless 
God blesses your endeavor. It was in a manner excusable in the 
Gentiles, who believed not in God, to be absorbed in the pursuit 
of gain ; but should Christians, who have a Father in heaven, 
trouble themselves on account of th'e goods of this life ? Is it not 
He who dispenses all the treasures of nature and grace to whom- 
soever He pleases? He offers them to you on one condition. 
What is it? " Seek first!!'' saith He, " the kingdom of God and 
his justice^ and all things shall be added unto you!'' Honor God 
and He w^U honor you ; attend to his interests and He w^ill attend 
to yours ; give Him what He asks, and He will grant what you 
desire ; seek the spiritual and you shall have the temporal ; take 
care, above all things, to do his will, and He will do yours. 

Oh Christian ! why do you complain ? If you are miserable, 
you alone are the cause of your misery. You sin, and yet desire 
that God should be good to you ; you will not obey God, and yet 
you wish Him to be favorable to your demands ; you wage war 
against Him, and wish Him still to bestow his blessings on you ! 
[s this just ? Hope in God, and do his will, and He will load you 
with goods, honors, and happiness. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Who giveth to beasts their food, and to the young ravens that 
call upon Him." Psalm cxlvi. 

" The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord ; and Thou givest them 
meat in due season." Psalm cliv. 

" The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing." Psalm xxii. 



488 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Casting all jour solicitude upon Him, for He hath care of 
you/'* 1 Petei\ v. 

" And they spoke ill of God : they said : Can God furnish a 
table in the wilderness f . Psalm Ixxvii. 

" Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee ; He 
shall not suffer the just to waver forever." Psalm liv. 

" What man is there among you, of whom, if his son ask bread, 
will he reach him a stone '\ or if he ask a fish, will he reach him a 
serpent V St. Mail. vii. 



FOURTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE END OF MAN, WHICH IS TO SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

1st Point. I came from God. I belong only to God. I am in 
the world only to serve God. I subsist only by the strength and 
through the goodness of God. I can be only fur God. It was not 
necessary that I should come into the world ; but, since I am here, 
it is necessary that I should be all to God, and live only for God. 

2d Point. Every thing speaks to me of God ; every thing drav/ s 
me to Him ; every thing convinces me of the greatness and ma- 
jesty of God; every thing says and declares that I do not merit 
life if I do not live for God ; that I am not worthy to possess a 
heart if I love any thing but God ; that I cannot serve two mas- 
ters ; that I must serve either God or the devil. 

3d Point. Oh, what an honor to belong to God ! How consol- 
ing to be engaged in the service of so good a Master ! He who 
possesses God is rich and happy indeed. My soul, from whence 
came you ? whither are you going ? to what are you tending ? 
what is it you seek ? are you not a creature of God ? did not He 
give you being ? Is it not to love and serve Him that He has 
placed you in the world ? Why, then, despise Him *? why con 
tinue to offend Him ? why render service to the devil, his enemy, 
and do every thing but \yhat you ought to do ? 

Oh, my God ! I have been up to the present, strangely blind 
and deluded ! I have fallen into strange wanderings ! Behold 1 
my life will soon pass, and I shall not have commenced to do that 
for which I was placed in the world. I have lived for myself and 
not for Thee. I have sought only my own glory, my own pleas 
ure and satisfaction. Oh, what impiety 1 what ingratitude and 
what injustice ! 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 489 

Pardon me, my God, and receive the protestation that I now 
make, to live only for Thee, to serve no other Master than Thee, 
to desire only Thee, to love Thee m all things, and to .love all 
thin2:s in and for Thee. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Oh Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number 
of my days : that I may know what is wanting in me." Psalm 
xxxviii. 

''This people have I found for myself: they shall show forth 
my praise." Isaias, xliii. 

"[ am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the 
Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Al- 
mighty." Apocalypse^ i. 

" Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord 
hath spoken. I have brought up children and exalted them ; but 
they have despised me." Isaias^ i. 

" Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof?" 
1 Corinthians^ ix. 

»>-• 

FIFTEENTH Su!s[DAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. xS'^. Luke^ vii. 11-16. 

" At that time, Jesus went into a city called Naim : and there 
went with Him his disciples and a great multitude. And when He 
came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried 
out, the only son of his mother : and she was a widow: and much 
people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her. He 
had compassion on her, and said to her: Weep not. And He came 
near and touched the bier. (And they that carried it, stood still.) 
And He said : Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was 
dead, sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his 
mother. And there came a fear on them all : and they glorified 
God, saying : A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God 
hath visitea his people." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus approached the dead man : He touched the 
bier on which he lay, and restored him to life. Devils would 
have borne you to hell long ago, and vou would be there at this 
21* 



490 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

moment, if the Blessed Virgin, your gv.<:d mother, had not, by 
her tears and prayers, moved her Son to compassion, and caused 
Him to restore you to life. He gave you to her; you, then, be- 
long to her by the title of donation, Avithout speaking of others. 

2d Point. Oh, holy and tender Virgin ! how shall I thank thee 
for so great a benefit? Oh, I have made thee shed tears ! Oh, I 
thank thee for having drawn me from hell an infinite number of 
times, and obtained again for me the life that 1 had lost. Lord, 
have mercy on me! ''' Remember that I am thy servant^ and the 
son of thy handmaidy Since Thou hast given me to thy mother, 
1 am sure that Thou desirest to save me ; and I hope that, touched 
by her tears, Thou wilt give me life and glory as Thou hast given 
me grace. 

The bier on which the dead man lay was made of sombre wood, 
whose dark color was emblematic of death ; but as soon as Jesus 
touched it, it became a tree of healing, which restored life to the 
dead. If the wood which Jesus touched was infused with a virtue 
so admirable by his mere touch, what ought not one to hope for 
after communion, when Jesus touches your body and soul, and 
takes your heart within his own to animate and sanctify it ] Can 
you not love Him after this ? ^ 

if this man, immediately after having risen, had said injurious 
things of our Lord ; if he had betrayed Him to the Jews, and 
conspired with them to put Him to death, who would not have 
execrated him 1 Who would not have declared that such a mon- 
ster of ingratitude was unworthy of life % See, however, what 
you are guilty of every day. After Jesus has, by the sacrament 
of penance, restored you to life, and touched you in the holy 
communion, instead of thanking Him for this great benefit, you 
soon after attempt to take his life ; you outrage and crucify Him 
anew in your hearts ! Oh, ye heavens, be astonished at this in 
gratitude ! 

3d Point. "Yoirny man, I say to thee, arise,^^ said Jesus Christ, 
and, obeying the mandate of the Lord, he immediately arose and 
spoke. You have been dead for a length of time, or, as a dead 
person, you have lived in a strange and lethargic state. Hear the 
voice of Jesus, who says unto you, " My child, arise ! my daughter, 
come forth from this state of tepidity and this mortal lethargy 
w^hicli deprives you of the functions of life. Arise, and work out 
your salvation, and sing the praises of God. How often has Jesus 
spoken thus to you ? Has He not commanded you to arise this 
day, to forsake the sin to which you are subject, and change your 
life ? Notwithstanding you refuse to obey his voice, you remain 



FIFTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 491 

deaf and dumb, and continue in a state of lukewarmness which is 
worse than death. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The hand of the Lord hath touched me." Joh, xix. 

** Rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ 
will enlighten thee." Ephesians. v. 

" Thou hast lifted me up from the gates of death, that I may 
declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion." 
Psahn ix. 

" And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes : and death 
shall be no more." Apocalypse^ xxi. 



FIFTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON DEATH. 

1st Point. You shall surely die once, and only once; you 
know not where, or in what manner, or in what state you will 
die ; you will die sooner than you expect to ; and if you are not 
on your guard, you will die without preparation. 

2d Point. As your life has been, so will your death be. One 
cannot learn in a moment a science of which they had no pre- 
vious knowledge, or forget in a moment that with which they have 
always been familiar. You have never learned to make acts of 
faith, hope, and charity : how, then, will you be able to do it when 
you are sick ? You know no other science than that of oifending 
God : how will you learn better when you are dying 1 Will you 
love God at the hour of death, after having hated Him all your 
life ? will you hate sin when you come to die, after having loved 
it all your life ? 

3d Point. After death you shall be judged ; after judgment you 
shall be saved or damned ! What will you then wish to have 
done ? what will you wish not to have done ? what wish to have 
suffered ? what wish not to have suffered ? Do now those things 
which you will then wish to have done, and abandon that which 
you will wish not to have done ; suffer with patience that which 
you will wish to have suffered, and do not suffer that which you 
will wish not to have suffered. 

You will leave all your possessions at the portals of eternity ; 



492 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

your glory will not descend witli you into the grave ; your pleas- 
ures will be turned to bitterness, and your love to hatred. You 
will take with you from this life only the good and evil that you 
have done; the good to be recompensed, the evil to be punished. 
That which constitutes your happiness during life will be your 
torment after death ; and that which has been your torment dur- 
ing life shall be your triumph and happiness through eternity, if 
you have suifered in and for God. 

Oh, death ! oh, judgment ! oh, salvation ! oh, damnation ! I am 
bereft of reason if I reflect not on death ! I am inordinately attached 
to life if I fear death ; I do not love Jesus if I desire not death ; 
1 am an enemy to myself if I neglect to dispose myself for death ; 
I deserve not to be saved if I do not fear being damned ; 1 abuse 
the time and grace of God if I prepare not for eternity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Behold, the days of thy death are nigh." DeuL xxxi. 

" O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that 
hath peace in his possessions." Ecclesiasticus^ xli. 

" Be ye also ready : for at what hour you think not, the Son of 
man will come." Luke^ xii. 

" Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live." 
Isaias^ xxxviii. 



FIFTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE NECESSITY OF PREPARING FOR DEATH. 

1st Point. Are you ready to die? Have you put your affairs 
in order'? Have you any thing of greater importance than your 
salvation to engage your attention 1 Do you expect to escape 
death 1 You know not the day nor the hour of its coming. It 
may come at any moment. Why should it not come to-day ? 

You think only of living, and not of dying ; you work only for 
time, and not for eternity. Small affairs demand but little care ; 
great affairs demand much. Is there any affair greater than that 
of your salvation? There is but little time to think of death 
when the time comes to die. Is it a proper time to prepare for 
judgment when the hour of judgment arrives] 

2d Point. Persons take great pahis to learn the business which 
is to occupy them. The chief business of all men is their salva- 



FIFTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 493 

tion. It is not necessary to study in order to die well, but it is 
necessary to learn to die well. One can never know too well how 
to do that which he will only do once in his life. To die well 
once it is necessary to die often. 

Is life too long a time to prepare for death 1 Is time too much 
to think of eternity ] How will you be able to make one act of 
love for God, having always hated Him ? How will you hate sin, 
having always loved it ? One easily makes those acts which have 
been acquired by habit. If you then accustom yourself to the 
thought of dying, and a preparation thereof, you shall die w^ell. 

Judgment follows death, and eternity follows judgment. Are 
your accounts ready '? When your Almighty Judge shall ques- 
tion you, wiJl you know how to reply'? Will there be time to 
learn the science of warfare when the enemy is on you ? Is there 
any time or opportunity to fortify a citadel when it is besieged on 
all sides'? 

Watch, or death will surprise you. Prepare for it, if yon would 
not have it come on you unawares. He who does not watch is 
surprised, and he who is surprised by death is like one taken in a 
deadly snare., 

3d Point. Trust not to time — it is a bad safeguard. Reckon 
not on your health — it is like treacherous ice which will slip from 
beneath your feet, when you think yourself in perfect safety. 
Never is death nearer than when one believes it to be afar off. 
How many are there whom death has surprised ? 

Oh my God, I thank Thee for having given me time to prepare 
for death. Where would I be if Thou hadst surprised me ? What 
should I do if it were necessary for me to die now ? I wish hence- 
forth to be on my guard, since I have a vigilant and powerful 
enemy, who sets snares for me on every side. In order to die 
well, I will die to myself every day of my life. I will meditate 
on death, and by the grace of God, prepare for it, that w^hen the 
hour comes I may be found ready. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Remember that death is not slow." Ecclesiasi'icus^ xiv. 

"Watch ye, therefore; because }e know not the day nor the 
hour." St. '^Matt. xxv. 

" If then thou shalt not watch, I will come to thee as a thief; 
and thou shalt not know at what hour I will come to thee." Apoc- 
alypse^ iii. 

" Watch ye,' therefore ; because ye know not at what hour your 
Lord will come." St, Matt, xxiv. 



494 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

FIFTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH AND THE NECESSITY OF 

RESIGNATION. 

1st Point. What do you fear, Christian soul? Why do you 
fear death ? Have you not courage to do that which even little 
children have done? Can you not suffer that which the smallest 
insects have suffered ? Of what use would life be if it were never 
to end ? Is it not the gift of God ? Has He not a right to deprive 
you of it ? He has given you the use of it, but reserved for him- 
self the proprietorship thereof. It is a deposit which, sooner or 
later, it will be necessary for you to return. Are you ready to 
return it ? Is it in a good condition ? 

2d Point. It is folly to be afraid of becoming acquainted with 
a thing w^hich is inevitable. It is natural to fear doubtful things, 
and wise to expect that which is certain. To escape death it 
w^ould be necessary not to have been born. Are you of better 
condition than kings ? Shall you be more privileged than Jesus 
Christ ? If you had been immortal, you would have asked of Him 
the grace and privilege of dying as He did. 

You are a criminal condemned to death. The sentence has been 
pronounced from the beginning of the world. Oh sentence, most 
favorable ! oh sentence, which will procure you infinite good and 
glory ! Death is not an evil, but an inestimable good, since it 
gives us admission into heaven. 

3d Point. It is true that the judgments of God are terrible, but 
his mercies are infinite. It is good to fear, but better to hope. 
He who hopes in God shall not be confounded. He who abandons 
himself to God shall not be abandoned by God. Will your con- 
dition be improved by a long life ? You will only increase in- 
stead of diminishing your debts. 

You say that you will do penance, and you have not yet com- 
menced. There is no penance more meritorious than to accept 
death in satisfaction for one's sins. Man can offer nothing to 
God which will equal the sacrifice of his life. 

Oh, my God ! I esteem myself happy in being able to die for 
Thee ! Since I cannot be a martyr of faith, I desire to be one of 
charity, that I may die for love of Thee. It is not a great thing 
to die, but it is a great thing to die well. Death may take from 



FIFTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 495 

me iny strength, but my life, oh mj God, I give to Thee through 
Jove. I give to charity that which I camiot refuse to necessity. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Better is death than a bitter life ; and everlasting rest than 
continual sickness." Eccles, xxx. 

'• Oh death, thy sentence is w^elcome to the man that is in need, 
and to him whose strength faileth. Who is in a decrepit age, and 
that has care about all things." Ibid. xli. 

" Fear not the sentence of death. Remember what things have 
been before thee, and what shalt come after thee : this sentence is 
from the Lord upon all flesh." Ibid, 

" For we know that if our earthly house of this habitation be 
dissolved, that we have a building of God, a house not made w^ith 
hands, eternal in heaven." 2 Corinthians^ v. 

'' Unhappy man that I am : who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death V Romans^ vii. 



FIFTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE DISPOSITIONS OF A PIOUS SOUL NEAR DEATH. 

1st Point. They have told me that I am about to die. Oh, 
sweet and agreeable news ! About to leave this earth to go to 
heaven ; going from my prison to enjoy perfect liberty ; going to 
leave this exile to return to my dear country ; going to pass from 
time to eternity ; from the figure to the substance, from death to 
immortality, from misery to happiness ! 

I am going to possess and contemplate God, and forever enjoy 
his presence ; I am going to rest on his bosom, and transform 
myself into Him ; I am going to fill my spirit with a plenitude 
of light, my will with a plenitude of peace, my memory with a 
plenitude of joy. I will find in heaven all that I desire and nothing 
that I fear ; I shall have no evil, and w^ant for no good ; God will 
be all to me, and I shall find all in Him. 

2d Point. They tell me that I am going to die. Oh sweet and 
agreeable news ! I am going to a place of rest, to the land of the 
living, to the kingdom of peace, to the palace of glory, to the nup- 
tials of the Lamb, to the feast of God and his holy angels ; going 
to see that which eye hath never seen, to hear that which ear hath 



496 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

never heard ; to possess that which the human heart hath never 
conceived ; going to a country where I shall no longer be bowed 
down by misery, suffer no more inconvenience, and never again 
be subject to sin, and in danger of being damned ; where I shall 
find nothing to give me pain ; where I will see God without a 
veil, will love Him, praise and bless Him forever ! 

Go, then, my soul ! depart from this miserable life ; leave this 
sutfering and unhappy body. What do you fear ? Jesus died for 
you ; He has made satisfaction for your sins, and cancelled all 
your debts ; He is your advocate with the Father ; He is your 
intercessor ; and He has promised that you shall enter into his 
rest if you hope in Him ; He has given you his body and blood 
as a pledge of the consummation of his w^ord ; He has done you 
hifinite good, and preserved you from infinite dangers. 

If He had desired your damnation, would He have died for 
you? would He have preserved your life so long? would He 
have waited for you with so much patience ? enlightened you with 
so much knowledge? invited you with so much love? drawn you 
with so much strength, and favored you with so many graces ? 
Would He have given you time to do penance? would He have 
visited you in sickness ? would He have sanctified you by the re- 
ception of the sacraments, and marked you with the seal of the 
predestined ? 

If you bewail your sins you shall be saved ; if you convert 
yourself, from the depths of your heart, your sins shall be par- 
doned. One sigh of true repentance will gain heaven. Repent- 
ance is never too late when it is sincere. My soul ! behold, Jesus 
calls you, and extends his arms towards you ; He prays for you 
on his cross, and implores his Father to pardon those who crucify 
Him ; He bows his head to kiss you ; extends his arms to em- 
brace you ; opens his heart that you may enter into its sacred 
shelter ; gives his life and blood to ransom and save you. After 
this, what reason have you to be afraid ? 

Depart, my soul ! I am contented to die, since it is the will of 
God; to die because He commands it; to die for his glory, die 
for his love, die through gratitude, die through justice, die because 
He died, die to behold Him, die to love Him, die to honor, to 
praise, and to bless Him through all eternity ! 

3d Point. Oh, Father of mercy ! behold a prodigal child, who 
returns to Thee after having consumed his life and goods in riot- 
ous living ! Alas ! I have lived without reason since I came to the 
use of reason ; I have done only evil since I came to the knowl- 
edge of good. My Father ! I have simied against heaven, and in 



FIFTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 497 

thy sight, and am not worthy to be called thy child ; I am not 
worthy of being received into thy house. But can it be that 
Thou hast ceased to be a Father because I am no longer worthy 
of being thy child ] Hast Thou lost thy goodness because 1 have 
lust my innocence; art Thou no longer a Father of mercy be- 
cause Thou hast a child loaded down with misery ? 

(Jh my Father 1 oh best of all fathers ! hav.e compassion on the 
most miserable of all thy children. I was lost, and Thou didst 
find me ; I was dead, and Thou didst restore me to life. Receive 
me into thy house ; give me the kiss of peace ; pardon me my 
offences, and clothe me in the nuptial robe ; allow me to eat at 
thy table, and give me a place at thy celestial feast. 

Oh Jesus, Physician of the helpless sick, Consoler of the afflict- 
ed, Redeemer of captives, only hope of sinners, behold me before 
Thee, without strength, motion, or words ! But Thou dost under- 
stand the language of my heart, which tells Thee that I am con- 
sumed with desire to behold Thee, and impatient to be released 
from these bonds of flesh. Come speedily, oh good Jesus ! Lib- 
erate my soul from its prison, and conduct it to its dear country. 
Oh, thy tabernacles are glorious ! thy palace beautiful ! I shall 
only be contented and at rest in heaven ; shall be happy only in 
thy company. 

Holy and immaculate Mother of God ! thou didst assist at the 
death of thy only Son ; do not abandon me now. I am thy child 
and thy servant. Wilt thou suifer one of thy children to remain 
a slave of the devil ? Oh, I hope thou wilt assist me in this last 
conflict, and render me victorious over my enemies ! I place my 
life, my sOul, my death, and my salvation in thy hands. 

Angels of heaven, come to my succor! Tak^ up arms in my 
defence. After having saved me from so many shipwrecks let me 
not perish in port. Depart, then, my soul ; hoping in divine mer- 
cy, ascend to thy God. I am ready, oh my God, ready to live, 
ready to die, ready to perform thy will, whatever it may be, for 
time and eternity. Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• I rejoiced at the things that were said unto me : We shall go 
into the house of the Lord." Psalm cxxi. 

" Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the 
Lamb." Apocalypse^ xix. 

'' In the Lord 1 put my trust." Psalm x. 

" For what have I in heaven, and besides Thee what do I desire 
on earth 1 For Thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away ; 



498 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS, 

Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion 
forever." Psabn Ixxii. 

" One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after ; that 
I mjiy dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." 
Psalm XXV i. 

''How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul 
lonojeth and f linteth for the courts of the Lord." Psalm Ixxxiii. 

" Blessed are they that d well in thy house, O Lord : they shall 
praise Thee forever and ever." Jhid. 



FIFTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE " PATER NOSTER," TO DISPOSE ONE TO DIE WELL. 

" Our Father:' 

1st Point. I believe, niy God, that thou art my Father, who 
hast given me a life of nature and of grace, and of w^honi I hope 
that of glory. Since Thou art the Father of all men, can I not 
call Thee mine ? Oh, how rejoiced I am that I have a Father so 
good, so holy, so wise, so powerful, and so merciful ! Since Thou 
hast given me corporal life, I hope Thou wilt give me eternal. 

My Father ! I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight. I 
am not worthy to be called thy child, but receiv^e me, I beseech 
Thee, into the number of thy servants. 

My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice of death pass away 
from me; nevertheless let thy will, not mine, be done. 

Oh my Father, I return to Thee the life Thou hast given me. 
I am covered with confusion because I have made so bad a use of 
it, and made it serve to offend Thee. 

My Father ! glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify Thee. 
Since I have not honored Thee on earth, I beseech Thee to let me 
praise and honor Thee eternally in heaven. 

'' Who art in heaven:'^ 

2d Point. Thou, my God, art in heaven, and I am on earth ; 
Thou art in a land of peace, and I am in a place of perpetual 
combat ; Thou art in heaven to recompense me, and I am on 
earth to love, serve, and honor Thee. Alas ! I have not yet 
begun it ! Wicked and ungrateful as I am, I still hope to be in 
heaven with Thee, and my hope is founded on the precious blood 



FIFTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 499 

that thy dear Son shed for me. Oh ! when will that joyful day 
arrive? when will this earth become distasteful to me? when will 
the contemplation of heaven absorb my thoughts? Oh, sweet 
heaven ! what ought one not to be willing to sutfv'r to merit thee ? 
All that I endure is nothing in comparison with the glorious prize 
that 1 hope to win. 

''^Hallowed he thy namey 

3d Point. Adorable name of my God ! I was created that I 
might glorify Thee, and I have only profaned Thee. I have done 
all things for my own glory instead of thine. I humbly beseech 
Thee to pardon me, oh King of glory and majesty, and I conjure 
Thee, by thy holy name, to show me mercy. 

Oh, holy name of Jesus, Thou art m;^ sole hope! Whoever 
will invoke Thee with faith and confidence shall be saved. I will 
invoke Thee, with all my heart and with all the devotion of my 
soul, while life lasts ; oh, then, be my strong defence in my last 
combat, and suffer me not to be overcome. 

^^Thy Mngdoin come,'''' 

4th Point. When will it be, oh my God, that thy kingdom 
will come ? When w41t Thou reign peacefully in my heart '? When 

wilt Thou be absolute master of mv soul and bodv 1 Alas, I 

«/ ■ t/ ' 

have not made Thee reign on earth ! All my life have I protested 
that I had no other king than Caesar. It is for this that 1 have 
micrited death, and have condemned myself. I accept it with all 
my heart ; I ask for it, but hope that, after death, Thou wilt give 
me enti^ance into thy eternal kingdom. Oh happy are those who 
serve Thee faithfully in this lite, for they will reign with Thee 
eternally in heaven ! 

My soul, console thyself; betold, the kingdom of God is at 
hand ! thou hast only a moment to suffer, and this moment of 
suffering'will suffice to procure for thee an eternal weight of glory. 
Fight to the end, and lose not the crown that God has prepared 
for you ; greatly wilt thou prize a kingdom won by the loss of 
blood and tears. 

" Thy will he done on earth as it is done in heaven^ 

5th Point. Oh my God, since I have not done thy will during 
life, let me at least do it in dying. Behold my body borne down 
with suffering : the sorrows of death encompass me on every side. 
I desire only to prolong my life to repair the faults that 1 have 
committed, and to purchase back the time I have lost. Not with- 



500 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

standing, if Thou dost desire me to die, let thy will and not mine 
be done. 

Is it thy will, oh my God, that my soul should separate itself 
from my body, and do penance in purgatory ? I am contented. 
Dost Thou desire that it should remain in this body to suffer ex- 
treme pains and afflictions '? If such is thy divine will, I also de- 
sire it, and submit without a murmur. Let thy will, not mine, be 
done. 

" Give us this day our daily breads 

6th Point. Happy are those who will eat bread in the kingdom 
of God. I thank Thee, most charitable Father, for having given 
me nourishment of body and soul so many years, and, above all, 
for having fed me with the bread of angels, which is the precious 
body of thy Son Jesus. Oh bread of life ! I no longer fear death, 
since I have received Thee before dying. I dread not my enemies, 
fortified as I am by thy divine presence. I will walk in the 
strength of this bread unto Mount Horeb, where I shall see God. 

What Thou hast promised and sworn is eternal truth, that he 
who eats of thy body, and drinks of thy blood, shall live eter- 
nally. It is this promise that dissipates my fears and sustains 
my hopes ; since we have been united so intimately in this life, 
Thou wilt not suffer us to be separated in the next. 

Oh Jesus, give me thy bread this day ! Strengthen me by thy 
grace to make this journey into eternity. Without this life-giving 
bread I should flill into distrust, and never arrive at heaven. 

''^Forgive us our trespasses as ive forgive those ivho trespass 

against us.^^ 

7th Point. Lord, the multitude of my sins is innumerable. If 
Thou boldest me to a strict accokint of them I am lost. I can no 
longer pray, nor fast, nor do penance : what shall I then do to 
appease thy justice and secure my salvation ? 

Thou hast promised to forgive those who forgive, and to show 
mercy to those who exercise it. 

Oh my God, I pardon all those who have offended me, and be- 
seech Thee not to impute to them the evil they have done me. I 
ask this grace for them and offer Thee my death, united to that 
of thy divine Son, to expiate their sins. 

''And lead us not into temptaiiony 

8th Point. It is now, oh my God, that I have need of thy pro- 
tection and assistance, for, behold, my enemies surround me on 



FIFTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 50> 

every side. Behold the devil, who cometh from hell, like a roar- 
ing lion, to devour me ; but since Thou, my God, art with me, 1 
will not be afraid. When I walk in the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evil, because Thou art with me. 

Rise, then, God of hosts, come quicklt to my deliverance. 
Send St. Michael, with his angels, to defend me. Thou knowest 
my weakness, oh prevent Satan from destroying me ; suffer him 
not to tempt me, at least do not let me yield to temptation. 

'''Bui deliver us from eviV 

9th Point. Deliver me froni that of the body, which I have 
merited ; from that of the soul, with which I am threatened. De- 
liver me from hell, which is the greatest of all evils. I accept 
all the pangs that I feel, and am ready to go whithersoever Thou 
desirest me ; but, oh God of mercy, I conjure Thee, by the* pas- 
sion and death of thy Son, not to send me to hell ! How could I 
spend an eternity without loving and praising Thee ? Bring me 
to Thee in heaven, where, with the glorious company of the re- 
deemed, I can praise Thee forever and ever. Amen. 



. FIFTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SALVE REGINA TO IMPLORE THE ASSISTANCE OF THE 
BLESSED VIRGIN, TO WHOM HER SON HAS GIVEN US. 

Salve Regina^ mater miser icor dice, 

1st Point. Hail to thee, queen of heaven and earth, of angels 
and men, of the living and the dead ! Hail to thee, mother of 
mercy and of the miserable ! as mother of grace, thou art mother 
of the just ; as mother of mercy, thou art the mother of sinners. 
It is this which gives me confidence to address thee, and makes 
me hope that thou wilt be attentive to my prayer. If thou wert 
the mother of justice, I should fear thee, but what have I to fear 
from a mother of mercy ? or, rather; for what ought I not to 
hope ] The Church has given thee this beautiful name, because 
thou dost open the abyss of divine mercy, and obtainest therefrom 
all that thou desirestf and in the manner thou wilt; so that there 
is no sinner, however criminal he may be, who will perish, if thou 
deignest to pray for him, says St. Bernard. 

2d Point. Hail to thee, then, our life, our sweetness, and our 



502 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

hope. Since thou art the mother of God, it is necessary for thee 
to be the mother of men ; for having given life to a God, thou 
hast given it to all mankind. Thou art our mother, thou didst 
conceive us with thy Son at Nazareth, and gave us life at the foot 
of the cross. We are thy children, because thou hast procured 
for us a life of grace, and adopted us on Calvary in the person of 
St. John. 

Thou art the mother of sweetness and not of severity. We have 
in God a Father of mercy, but it is still necessary that we should 
have a mother of mercy. It is to thee, oh holy Virgin, that this 
quality is due, and in thee that it "is accomplished. After having 
borne for nine months, Mercy itself in thy chaste womb, can any 
one doubt that thy whole being is not penetrated with mercy ? 

Behold, then, what gives us courage and inspires us with con- 
fidence, and that which makes us call thee, with the Church, our 
best hope after thy Son. 

Ad ie clamamiis exules Jllii Evce, 

^D Point. We, the banished children of Eve, cry out unto thee. 
She lost us by the sin which banished her from paradise, and, by 
a strange miracle, gave us death before we had life. But God 
chose thee to repair the injury inflicted on us by this cruel mother. 
Thou healest those whom she has wounded, and savest thgse who 
are lost. 

It is for this that we cry unto thee, and sigh, groan, and weep 
in this valley of tears, where we are charged with sins and weigh- 
ed down with miseries ; where we are separated from God, sur- 
rounded by devils^ banished from our dear country, and always 
in danger of perishing. 

Uia ergo advocata nostra. 

4th Point. Come, then, our advocate, and look upon us with 
those thy pitying eyes ; we have an advocate with the Father in 
the person of thy Son Jesus Christ, but we need also an advocate 
with Him, for He is our Judge.* It is for this that God has chosen 
thee, and transported thee from earth to heaven, to the end that 
thou may est intercede confidently for us with Him. 

Cast on me, then, the eyes of thy tender compassion, for thou 
canst not see any thing more poor, miserable, and needy. f If 
thou dost look on me with a favorable eye, I shall be saved ; if 
thou dost turn thy eyes on me, I feel that my salvation is secure, 

* St. Bernard. t St. Anslem. 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 503 

for where is the sinner who can say that thou hast despised him 
when he invoked thee. Oh, holy and compassionate Virgin, assist 
me in my hist^ sickness. 

Ei Jesiim benedicMm, dx. 

5th Point. And after this our banishment, show us Jesus, the 
blessed fruit of thy womb! Thou art blessed among w^omen, 
having clothed the Son of God with thy flesh, and it is through 
thee that I hope to see Him clothed in glory. clemens ! O 
mother of goodness ! pia ! O mother of piety ! didcis 
Virgo Maria ! O mother of sweetness, holy Virgin Mary ! 

She revealed to a certain saint, (as some authors tell us,) 
that when any one repeats these words : Ma ergo advocata nos- 
tra, etc., she regards him with a favorable eye, and gives him her 
blessing. 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Luke^ xiv. 1-11. 

" At that time, when Jesus went into the house of one of the 
chief of the Pharisees, on the Sabbath day, to eat bread, they 
watched Him. And, behold, there was a certain man before Him 
that had the dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers 
and Pharisees, saying : Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day ? 
But they held their peace. But He, taking him, healed him, and 
sent him away. And answering them. He said: Which of you 
shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit, and will not immediately 
draw him out on the Sabbath day 1 And they could not answer 
Him to these things. And He spoke a parable, also, to them that 
were invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, 
saying to them : When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down 
in the first place, lest,. perhaps, one more honorable than thou be 
invited by him ; and he that invited thee and him, come and say 
to thee : Give this man place : and then thou begin with shame to 
take the lowest place. But when thou art invited, go sit down in 
the lowest place ; that when he who invited thee cometh, he may 
say to thee: Friend, -go up higher. Then shalt thou have glory 
before them that sit at table with thee. Because every one that 
exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself 
shall be exalted. 



504 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



ON THE GOSPEL. 



1st Point. Jesus Christ went into the house of one of his great- 
est enemies to take his repast, and to make use of the occasion to 
do good to him, and all who were with him. They observed 
closely all his words and actions, not to profit by them, but to 
cry them down. The spiritual man has no eyes, except for his 
own faults, and to imitate the virtues of Jesus. Observe Him 
imitate his actions. . Behold how Jesus prays, how He walks, 
how He eats, how He labors, how He suffers, and how He con- 
verses ! Imitate his piety in prayer; his gravity in walking, his 
modesty in eating, his humility in conversing, his sweetness in 
forgiving injuries, his patience in suffering, and his obedience in 
dying. Keep your eyes always fixed on this divine example, and 
never turn from it. 

2d Point. Dropsy is a figure of avarice, of cupidity and self 
love. The world is full of people with this disease, although there 
are but few who believe they have it. The symptoms of this 
malady are swellhig and thirst. You have a large, proud, and ar- 
rogant heart ; you are inflated with pride ; you have an insatiable 
thirst for the good esteem of the world, earthly possessions, and 
the pleasures of sensuality. Oh, what incessant desires continu 
ally disturb your heart! What care and inquietude fill your 
spirit ! Surely you are laboring under this disease. 

3d Point. And you, religious souls, are you not also ? You 
have a thirst for perfection which consumes you. If there is any 
mixture of inquietude, sadness, and, what is worse, jealousy, in 
your aspirations after perfection, rest assured that you are spirit- 
ually dropsical, and require a remedy. A soul which is full of 
God desires nothing more ; and those who desire any other thing 
show that they are not filled with Him. Oh, my God, what is 
there in heaven, and besides Thee what do I desire on earth, if not 
Thee, the God of my salvation ! 



SIXTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 505 



SIXTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. " Wke?i you are invited to a feast^ sit not down in 
the first placed There are two feasts to which we are invited, 
that of heaven and that of earth. That of heaven consists in the 
union of our souls with God; that of earth in the union of our 
bodies with Jesus Christ in the tloly Sacrament. Christian soul, 
you are invited to both these feasts. It is permitted to' you to 
aspire to the first phice at the heavenly feast, but not to those 
of the earthly feast. It is necessary to choose the lowest place, 
when you approach the holy table. I mean to say, that it is nec- 
essary to humble yourself, to esteem yourself the least among 
men, the greatest of all sinners, and the most unworthy of all 
Christians, to participate worthily in these divine mysteries. If 
you take the lowest place. He who has invited you will make you 
come up higher. Oh, blindness of men ! All the world wish to 
ascend, but none to descend ; all wish to elevate themselves, but 
none desire to abase themselves ! 

2d Point. Jesus cured the dropsical man by laying his hand on 
him. He could have effected the miracle without this, but He 
wished to show us that his sacred body, in the divine sacrament 
of the altar, has the virtue necessary to heal our maladies, spirit- 
ual and corporal. Oh, how often has He not touched your tongue 
and heart ! Why is it, then, that your heart is proud, angry and 
impatient ? Why is your tongue so prone to raillery and slan- 
der 1 Oh, it is because you do not desire to be cured. You wish 
to be a slave of the world, as well as a disciple of Jesus ; and wish 
to have charity without renouncing cupidity. 

3d Point. If your ox or your ass fall into a pit, you straight- 
way draw it out. Your brother has fallen into mortal sin, and 
you have not charity enough to draw him from it ! Behold your 
friends who have fallen into the flames of purgatory, and you put 
not forth vour hand to deliver them ! Oh hardness of the human 
heart ! Is a soul that has been purchased by the blood of the Son 
of God, of less account than a beast, which we lose no time in 
rescumg from the pit into which it has fallen ^ 

"WORDS OF scripture. 

" Let your modesty be known to all men." Philippians^ iv. 

00. 



506 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Giving no offence to anj one." 2 Corinthians, vi. 

"Be ye .also followers of me, as I also am of Christ." 1 Cor- 
inthiaris, xi, 

"The eye of the covetous man is insatiable." JEcclesias- 
ticus, xiv. 

" Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the 
Lamb." Apocalypse^ xix. 



SIXTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE VAIN JUDGMENTS OF MEN. 

1st Point. The Jews observed our divine Lord, and judged ill 
of his actions. Will you always be a slave to the opinions of 
men ? Will you never learn to despise their contem.pt and their 
judgments 1 When wdll you declare yourself for God ? when re- 
nounce your ostentation, your love of luxury, and these vain and 
worldly adornments ? wdien will you dissolve your connection 
with those companions whose influences are evil 1 w^hen will you 
begin a life of devotion 1 when place yourself in that state which 
the law of God, and the character of a modest Christian, demands 1 
When trample under foot human respect, and make open profes- 
sion of a new and more regular life ? 

The world derides you, but do you not know that the world is 
the greatest enemy of God ? that it is the tyrant of religion, and 
the persecutor of innocence 1 Did you not.renounce its friendship 
at the baptismal font? w^hy, then, do you fear to displease it? If 
you do not desire to renounce the friendship of the world, re- 
nounce the friendship of Jesus Christ, for " He," says St. James, 
"who is a friend of the world is at enmity with God." 

2d Point. How base a thing it is, for one to render himself a 
slave to the opinions of men ! what infidelity to abandon the side 
of Jesus Christ! w^hat treachery to unite with his enemies ! what 
impiety to be ashamed of his doctrine and example ! Are you 
not one of those base, impious, treacherous and unfaithful souls? 

If men deride you, it is a sign of your merit. I believe you 
worthy of blame, if you have the approbation of those who ap- 
prove only of those things which ought to be blamed. The judg- 
ments of men are not the rules of a Christian life ? Is it necessary 
to be wise for fear of offending fools ? What right have the im 
pious to lay down laws for you, or prescribe rules for your adop- 



SIXTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 507 

tion? Who or what has made you their subject? What! afraid 
of being defamed by the intamous, and dishonored by men with- 
out honor ! 

3d Point. The wicked condemn vou ! A sentence is null which 

»/ 

is pronounced without authority. It is unjust, when he who con- 
demns is himself more worthy of condemnation. Is it to be 
wondered at, that a man who does no good, should speak evil ] 
If the evil tongue of the impious accuse you, let your good works 
answer them. The contempt of the wicked is the eulogy of the 
good. 

Oh, Jesus m.y Lord ! Thou hast but few disciples in the world ; 
but few serv'ants who love and serve Thee. I see every day the 
tyrants of virtue, but the number of martyrs is few. Only this 
simple expression: What will they say ? makes more apostates 
than did Nero, or Dioclesian. Alas ! how will they who cannot 
endure the lashes of the tongue suffer the stripes of the whipcord 1 
How will you be able to be a martyr of faith, if you do not wish 
to be one of charity 1 Is it not necessary to die for charity as 
well as for faith ] 

As for me, O my God and my Saviour, I will never blush at 
thy Gospel ; I will declare my fliith openly ; I will never desire 
to please those who displease Thee, or be disquieted when I dis- 
please those who offend Thee. On the contrary, I will make it 
my greatest honor to be despised by those who despise Thee, and 
a singular pleasure to be hated by those who love Thee not ; re- 
membering the 'Words of St. Jerome, who declares : that the chief 
virtue of a Christian is to despise and to be despised ; to despise 
the world, and be despised by the world. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Be not thou, therefore, ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." 
2 Timothy, i. 

" If I did yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." 
Galatians, i. 

" But as to me, it is a thing of the least account to be judged 
by you, or by human judgment." 1 Corinthians^ iv. 

" Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have 
no more that they can do." Luke^ xii. 



508 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 



SIXTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE PRIDE WHICH MAKES US DESIRE THE FIRST PLACE. 

1st Point. Ho^y great a mercy is the humility of a God ! how 
great a misery to man is pride ! It is the source of all vices, as 
humility is, the mother of all virtues. One is impatient because 
he is proud, and imagines that he does not merit chastisement; 
one indulges in anger' through pride; one inordinately desires 
riches because he is proud ; one is envious because he is proud ; 
one is even impure because he is proud, for God humbles the 
spirit through the body. He abandons the proud to shameful 
passions ; He covers with the nature of beasts those who wish to 
be gods like himself. 

2d Point. Pride is the sin of the devil, and the first of all sins 
that was committed against God. Heaven was the place of its 
birth, helLthat of its punishment. x\ll other sins withdraw and 
iiy frorn God, but pride makes war with God; it attacks Him, 
and desires his destruction. God regards it as his enemy. He 
gives his grace to the humble, but resists the proud. He humbles 
men corporally, He humbles them spiritually ; He humbles them 
in time, and humbles them in eternity. Oh, what an infinite evil, 
that has God for its object of enmity ! 

3d Point. My God, do not abandon me to this detestable pas- 
sion. I confess that 1 am puffed up with pride, and I detest it. 
Humility pleases me, but I hate humiliation. But withal, O Lord, 
I implore thy grace that I may know myself and know Thee ; that 
I may know thy goodness and know my malice ; know Thee to 
praise Thee, know myself to become humble. 

Oh, new and precious life ! wherein I find all that I desire ; 
where I hope for all of which I am now ignorant ; where I enjoy 
all that I love. I am at rest in my nothingness, for ther.ein is my 
place. 1 am disturbed and agitated when I am out of it, because 
it is my centre. Oh my God, my all ! when shall I be emptied 
of all that I am 1 when shall I be filled with all that Thou art ? 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord." Prov- 
erbs^ xvi. 

"The Lord God hath sworn by his own soul, saith the Lord, 
the God of hosts: I detest the pride of Jacob." Amos, vi. 



SIXTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 509 

'• Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled : and he 
that humbleth himself shall be exalted." aS'^. Liike^ xiv. 

" Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as 
little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 
St. Matt, xv-iii." 

" God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." 
St, James, iv. 



SIXTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF OURSELVES. 

1st Point. Wl^p art Thou, O my God, and who am I? Thou 
art all, and I am nothing ; Thou knowest all, and I am witho^^i 
knowledge ; Thou canst do all, and I can do nothing ; Thou art 
only light, and I am only darkness ; Thou art only sanctity, and I 
am only malice ; Thou art only strength, and I am only weak- 
ness ; Thou art the Holy of Holies, and I am the chief of sinners ; 
Thou art the King of kings, and I am the slave of slaves ; Thou 
art the source of all my good, and .the remedy of all my evils. 
On Thee alone I depend for counsel and help. ' Thou art my only 
consolation. Thou art my life, my joy, my wisdom, my strength, 
my virtue, my desire, and my only hope ! 

2d Point. What are you, O proud man ? What have you that 
you have not received from God ? And if you have received all 
from Him, how dare you elevate yourself above others'? Can 
you of yourself have a good thought, conceive a good desire, say 
a good word, or perform a good action ? 

Ah, then, why have you not recourse to God ? WHiy do you 
not supplicate Him to instruct, strengthen and defend you 1 
Why not humble yourself in his presence ? Why reckon only ou 
your intellect, your credit, your friends, your virtue, and your 
merit, as if you could elude God, and act independently of Him '? 

3d Point. What are you, vain and haughty spirit? You are a 
being whom God has placed in this world to glorify Him. You 
are a sinner, who have a thousand times deserved hell ; a Chris- 
tian who ought to be crucified ; a person destined for eternal glory, 
who ought to suffer much to merit it. Ah! why, then, do you 
think and work only to glorify yourself instead of God ] Why 
shrink from penance in this life, when, if you had your just de- 
serts, you would be now doing it in hell ] Why, erring Chris- 



510 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

tiaii, do you hate the cross, and rhurmur when God afflicts you ? 
Wh} wish to journey to heaven by another road than that of the 
saints ? 

4th Point. What are you, proud and ungrateful one? What 
are you in your lifel what will you be in your death] You have 
been like a beast from your birth, without stability or reason. 
There is no sin that you have not committed. You have been a 
perfidious and ungrateful wretch during your life, and will be, 
perhaps, a reprobate at death, and be precipitated into hell. 
Why do you value yourself more than others who are better than 
you] Why despise your neighbor? Why plume your vanity 
on advantages which you do not possess ] or, if you have them, 
why forget that He who gave them can take them away ? and of 
which you will inevitably have to render Him a strict account 
after death in judgment. 

^^h man without reason ! oh sinner without law ! oh Christian 
without faith ! do you prefer to imitate the pride of Lucifer to 
the humility of Jesus ? "What distinguishes you from your neigh- 
bor if it is not your sins, which far exceed his ? You know that 
all good comes from God, and yet you refuse to glorify Plim ; 
you know that sin and ignorance are your only possessions, and 
still you do not humble yourself before Him. If you exalt your- 
self, you shall be humbled, and if you humble yourself, you shall 
be exalted. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Humble thy spirit very much : for the vengeance on the flesh 
of the ungodly is fire and' worms." Ucclesiasticus, vii. 

" Come to me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I 
wdll refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, 
because I am meek and humble of heart : and you shall find rest 
to your souls." Si. Matt. xi. 

" And whosoever will be first among you, shall be the servant 
of all." ^S'^. Mark, x. 

" Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled . 
and lie that humbleth himself shall be exalted." St. Luke, xiv. 



SIXTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 511 

SIXTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON HUMILITY. 

1st Point. If you possess and practise every virtue, and have 
not humility, they \yill not save you. All your vices and sins, if 
you are humbly penitent, cannot damn you, for humility banishes 
sin from the heart, and makes every virtue enter therein. Were 
you as ^vicked as king Achab, and ^yere to humble yourself as he 
did, you would like him, obtain mercy. God resists the proud 
and giveth his grace to the humble. What can you do without 
grace ? You must humble yourself to obtain it. It will not be 
granted to the proud unless they pray and humble themselves. 

2d Point. Who will say that it is impossible to save them- 
selves, since it is only necessary to humiliate one's self to obtain 
from God all that one desires ? Who can s%y that the road to 
heaven is rou^h and difficult, since it is only necessary to abase 
one's self to ascend it ] Every one cannot elevate himself, but who 
cannot lower himself? Every one camiot ascend, but who cannot 
descend ? 

3d Point. I can accomplish all things if I humiliate myself; I 
cannot fast, but I can humiliate myself; I cannot shed tears of 
sorrow for my sins, but I can humiliate myself for those for which 
I have no tears ; I cannot give alms or say many prayers, but I 
can humiliate myself at all times, in spirit and in mind ; I can do 
all with humility, and without it I can do nothing. The virtue 
of humility repairs the defects of charity. A sinner is safe wheu 
reposing in the arms of humility. God never despises an humble 
and contrite heart. 

Oh my soul, why do we lose courage? why despair of the 
mercy of God ? why abandon ourselves to vexation, and consume 
ourselves with sadness '] We have only to humble ourselves be- 
fore God and we shall obtain all that we have not, and receive all 
that w^e do not merit. You often foil into sin. Be patient, but 
above all humiliate yourself. You do not know how to pray, and 
are always distracted ; never mind, live in prayer, and all that i 
left for you to do, is to humiliate yourself. You have great weak- 
nesses, and are subject to many considerable defects. If you can 
do nothing else, humiliate yourself; the virtue of humility repairs 
the breaches and heals the wounds that are inflicted by sin on 
charity. 



512 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble : and He 
hath not despised their petition." Psalm ci. 

" For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men 
in the furnace of humiliation." Ecclesiasticus^ ii. 

" The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things ; 
and thou shalt find grace before God." Ecclesiasticus^ iii. 

" For great is the power of God alone : and He is honored by 
the humble." Ibid, 



SIXTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY. 

1st Point. It is necessary to suffer contempt, to despise con- 
tempt, to love contempt, to desire contempt, and to seek contempt. 
To suffer it, because it is an evil ; to despise it, because it is an 
imaginary evil; to love it, because it affords an opportunity of 
great merit ; to desire it, because it is salutary for the soul's good ; 
to seek it, because it is an inestimable good, and one which is ne- 
cessary for us. 

2d Point. Let us conceal our treasures in the bosom of hu- 
mility, for fear that the enemy of our souls may rob us of them. 
Nature reserves for herself that which is good, and rejects what- 
ever is bad. Conceal, then, your virtues, and confess and reject 
your sins. It is dangerous to speak of one's self either good or 
bad. If men speak well of themselves, it is to appear holy ; if 
ill, it is to appear humble. 

3d Point. It is necessary to consider those defects innocent 
which cause us confusion. It is necessary to love, generally, all 
that keeps us in contempt and abjection. Our centre of life is 
baseness and nothingness. It is here that we must live ; here that 
we must repose. To be pious, and make a display of it, is a dan- 
gerous state ; to be not pious, and yet appear so, is a detestable 
hypocrisy ; to be truly pious, and not parade it before the world, 
is the state and characteristic of a saint. 

What is 3^our opinion of yourself? what sentiments do you en- 
tertain of others 1 do you love to be seen of men ? do you speak 
well of yourself] do you speak ill of others'? do you seek the 
grandeur and applause of the world ? do you fly contempt ? have 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 513 

you a horror of confusion ? do you plume yourself on the praises 
that you receive? do you envy your equals '? are you proud, pas- 
sionate, and hasty 1 do you give yourself trouble about your de- 
fects and imperfections 1 are you afraid of human respect ? If so, 
you are base, haughty, ambitious, and vain, and possess the spirit 
of Lucifer, and not that of Christ. 

Oh, Jesus my Lord ! how is it that I fly from and hate hu 
miliation, when I know that without humiliation I caimot acquire 
humility. 

Give me grace to love contempt, at least to suffer it with pa- 
tience, to the end that I may possess Thee in heaven, into which I 
shall never enter if I am not humble. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Why doth thy spirit swell against God ?" Job, xv. 

" Amen I say unto you, unless you be converted, and become 
as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 
SL Matt, xviii. 

" Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, 
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Ibid. 

" Be you humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God ; 
that He may exalt you in the time of visitation." 1 Peter ^ v. 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. Matt, xxii. 35^6. 

" At that time, the Pharisees came to Jesus : and one of them, 
a doctor of the law, asked Him, tempting Him : Master, which is 
the great commandment in the law '? Jesus said to him : Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God loith thy ivhote heart, and with thy 
whole soul^ and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and 
first commandment. And the second is like to this : Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments de- 
pendeth the whole law and the prophets. And the Pharisees 
being gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying : What think' 
you of Christ? whose son is He? They say to Him : David's. 
He saith to them : How, then, doth David in spirit call Him 
Lord, saying: The Lord said to 7ny Lord, sit on my right hand, 
until I make thy enemies thy footstool? If David, then, calls Him 
Lord, how is He his son ? And no man was able to answer Him 
22* 



514 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

a word ; neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask Him 
any more questions." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The Jews questioned Jesus Christ ; some, through 
malice, to tempt Him and ensnare Him in bis speech ; others 
through curiosity, and others through a sincere desire to learn 
their duty in the way of salvation. Jesus replied to them all with 
an admirable sweetness and charity ; He concealed the malice of 
the first, excused the curiosity of the second and charitably in- 
structed the last. Do you act thus towards your neighbor ] do 
you conceal his faults? do you excuse his weakness] soothe his 
misery] give him good advice] do you treat him with sweet- 
ness] do you endeavor to reclaim and bring him back to the 
good road when you see him wandering astray ] 

2d Point. There are Christians who incessantly interrogate our 
Lord. Some, who desire to know his will, question Him, saying 
with St. Paul : ^^Lord^ what wouldsi Thou have me to do .^" This 
is a proper and excellent mode of interrogating Him. Others de- 
mand an explanation of his designs, and a reason for the govern- 
ment that He exercises over them ; such questions are insolent 
and criminal. Others ask nothing of God ; it may be through 
negligence of their perfection and salvation ; it may be because 
they imagine they know all, and have need of nothing more ; or 
it may be because they depend on his Providence, and w^ish to 
give themselves no trouble about their accountability to their 
Supreme Judge. The first are persons of holy and perfect dis- 
positions ; the second are proud and puffed up ; and the third are 
stupid and insensate. To which of these classes do you belong ] 
Are vou one of those who desire to know all and do nothin^j ] or 
of those who prefer ignorance, that they may remain idle] or of 
those who wish to know all, in order to do all ] Do you under- 
stand the science of the saints ] do you study it ] When you 
shall have done all that you know, God will teach you those things 
in which you are deficient. To wish to know all, and to do noth- 
ing, is to amass fuel for the flames of hell. 

3d Point. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole 
heart, a7id with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mindy With 
all your mind, submitting to Him your will ; with all your soul, 
immolating to Him your passions ; with all your strength, conse- 
crating to Him your actions and all your powers. With all your 



SEVENTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 515 

mind, believing all that He has revealed to you ; with all your 
heart,, doing all that He has commanded you ; with all your ^oul, 
seeking only for that which is well pleasing to Him. With all 
your strength, fleeing and repelling all that is offensive to Him ; 
with all your mind, thinking only of Him ; with all your Ifc'art, 
desiring only Him; with all your soul, existing only for Him; 
with all your strength, in working only for Him. Is it thus that 
you love Him? Subject to Him your mind by faith, your heart 
by charity, your passions by mortification, your strength by hu 
mility and patience. 

4th Point. " This is the first and greatest commandment,'^'^ It 
is the first in obligation, because it ought to be preferred before 
all ; and for it, it may be necessary to renounce honors, goods, 
friends, pleasures, and even life. It is the first in authority, be 
cause it refers immediately to God, and is intimately associated 
with Him. It is the first in dignity, because it is the foundation 
of all others, and the height of perfection. It is the first necessa- 
rily, because without it all other virtues are sterile and unfruitful. 
It is the first in merit, because without charity the practice of every 
good work will not merit heaven. It is the first in sweetness, be- 
cause charity renders tjie yoke of Jesus infinitely sweet and agree- 
able, filling the soul with joy, and the peace and unction of the 
Holy Ghost. It is the first in efficacy, because it involves and ac- 
complishes all the rest, for he who loves God can do nothing to 
displease Him. If you are not afraid of offending God, be assured 
that you are devoid of charity! 

Oh my God ! this consideration amazes me ! Alas ! if I am 
without charity, I am nothing ; I am thy enemy ; I am a repro- 
bate. Being without the love of God, how can I be otherwise 
than miserable ? Touch my heart, oh my God, with thy grace, 
and inflame my soul with charity.* 



SEVENTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



on THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. ''''Jesus added: And the first is like to this: Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,''^' He pronounced the second 
<>ommandment like unto the first, because it proceeds from the 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



516 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

same charity which makes us love God, and it is the same virtue 
which makes us love each other. You cannot perfectly love your 
neighbor unless you love God, or perfectly love God unless you 
love your neighbor. Since God himself commands you to love 
him, who is formed after his own image, purchased with his blood, 
and destined to the same glory as yourself, how can you. Chris- 
tian soul, evade the obligation ? As much, then, as you love God, 
so much ought you to love your neighbor ; since the love of one 
is measured by the other, and it is the same charity which em- 
braces both. 

2d Point. Do you love God 1 If you do not, you are the most 
ungrateful, unjust, and unfliithfnl of all creatures; since He has so 
often pardoned your sins, and so long borne with your derelic- 
tions. Do you love God ? Ah, whom will you love if not this glo- 
rious being whose perfections are infinite, w^hose charity is illimit- 
able ? Do you love God ? Your lips answer in the affirmative, 
but I fear your heart does not respond to your words. If you 
love God, you will also love your neighbor. Pause here and re- 
flect whether or no you desire all good for him ; judge favorably 
of him in all things, excuse his defects, support his weakness, bear 
with his ill humors, rejoice at his prosperity as at your own, and 
pardon him willingly the injuries he may have done, or continue 
to do you 1 If this is the case, you love him in truth ; if not, 
then, indeed, you do not love him ; neither do you love God, but 
violate the first and greatest commandment. 

3d Point. You say that you love God ! but how do you love 
Him ? Is it with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your 
strength, and with all your soul ? Do you love Him without 
coldness, without fickleness, without dissimulation ? Do you love 
Him sweetly, love Him wisely, with strength and constancy ? 
Sweetly, against the snares of the devil ; wisely, against the arti- 
fices of the devil ; strongly, against the contempt of the world ; 
constantly, against the fickleness of our nature 1 " If," says St 
Augustine, " an idol had a heart, it would love the one that made 
it." How do you intend to dispose of your heart ? Who deserves 
it, or has a right to it, if not He who formed it with His hands, 
purchased it with his blood, sanctified it by his grace, and ani- 
mated it with his spirit? And notwithstanding all this, you love 
Him not, or love Him only in appearance, or only in part, or only 
for a season, or when He bestows some signal blessing on you ; 
or it rnay be that your love is governed by humor or caprice? 
Do you presume, therefore, to call yourself one of those who love 
God ? " Be astonished^ oh ye heavens ! My people have coiiunit- 



SEVENTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 517 

ted two evils ; they have for sake )ii me^ I who am the sovrce of liv^ 
ing w^ters^ to drink from broken cisterns which hold no waters 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not 
charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And 
if 1 should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries, and all 
knowledge ; and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove 
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should 
distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver 
my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me 
nothing." 1 Corinthians^ xiii. 

" God is charity : and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, 
and God in him." 1 John^ iv. 

" If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his charity is 
perfected in us." Ibid, 

" I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength." Psalm xvii. 

"Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than'these? Yea, 
Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee." St, John^ xxi. 



SEVENTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE LOVE THAT WE OUGHT TO BEAR TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, 

1st Point. All the law is included in the love of God and our 
neighbor. If I love Jesus Christ I have fulfilled all the law, for 
in loving Him I love a God, and, through his sacred humanity, a 
man, through whom each one of his creatures becomes my neigh- 
bor. This is the point of the parable of the good Samaritan. It 
is, then, necessary to love Jesus Christ. Let us see if this de- 
mand on our love is not a reasonable one. 

Jesus is the most beautiful of all men, the greatest of all kings, 
the most charitable of all fathers, the most faithful of all friends, 
the sweetest of all masters, the most perfect of all spouses, and 
the most vigilant and indefatigable of all shepherds. It is He who 
vviitches over my ways, who governs me by his wisdom, protects 
jne by his power, sanctifies me by his goodness; it is He who 
leads me into rich pastures, where I find every good in ab\uidance: 
and He who causes to spring forth in my heart fountains of living 
waters to quench my thirst \ it is He who heals me when I am 



51 S DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

sick, defends me when I am attacked, consoles me when I am 
afflicted, and. seeks for me and brings me back when I wander 
astray. 

2d Point. Jesus descended from heaven for me; made himself 
mortal and passible man for me ; became a poor miserable child 
for me ; labored thirty-three years for me ; suffered every variety 
of injury, contempt, persecution, and torment for me ; and finally 
shed his blood and gave his life for me. He would suffer and die 
again for me, if it were necessary ; He watches, w^ithout ceasing, 
over me ; He has given his angels charge over me, to follow, in- 
struct, defend, console and guard me. 

3d Point. Jesus loves me with all his heart. He ever waits 
at the door of my heart, wherein He desires to enter, that He may 
render it happy by uniting it with his own; He has prayed and 
conjured me to give Him my heart ; He has shed his blood, and 
given his life to gain it. Am I not, then, the most unjust and un- 
grateful of all creatures, if I refuse Him the possession thereof, 
or give Him only a divided heart ? How can I refuse to love a 
father so good, a king so great, a shepherd so charitable, a 
friend so faithful, a master so clement, and a spouse so perfect 
and beautiful] 

Alas ! I do not love Him, for I fail to keep his commandments. 
I offend and w^ound my neighbor, which is of all things most sen- 
sibly felt by Him ; I do not meditate on Him ; I do nothing for 
Him ; I cannot remain an hour in his company without distrac- 
tion and w^eariness; I even tak^part with his enemies; I prefer 
the service of the devil to his ; if I love Him at all, it is with 
coldness, with treachery, with a divided heart, and only in ap- 
pearance; I love Him with my lips only, while my heart is far 
away from Him and his interests. 

Oh Love above all other loves ! oh Heart of all hearts ! grant 
me grace to love Thee as much as Thou lovest me ; to love Thee 
as Thou dost merit to be loved ! Anathema to him who loves not 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

WORDS OF scripture. # 

" Thou art beautiful above the sons of men.'' Psalm xliv. 

" Christ is all in all." Colossidns, iii. 

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth me." St. John. xiv. 

" If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathe 
ma maranatha." 1 Corinthians^ xvi. 



SEVENTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 519 



SEVENTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

HOW WE OUGHT TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR. 

1st Point. We ought to love our neighbor as God himself loves 
him. This is what the example of Jesus Christ proposes to us. 
Even as the three persons of the Holy Trinity are one God, one in 
essence, in nature, in judgment, and in will, so all Christians ought 
to be of one spirit. • And as the three divine persons are one in 
wisdom, in power, and in goodness, and what one does ad extra 
is done by all ; so Christians ought to have but one heart, one 
judgment, and one will, and ought to participate in each other's 
sufferings, and act in concert, remembering that it is only one 
spirit that animates the body and members of the Church. Is it 
thus that you love your neighbor ? 

2d Point. The charity that we have for our brethren ought to 
illustrate the adorable union of the divine Word with the holy 
humanity of our Saviour Jesus Christ. This is so intimate, that 
of two natures He made himself one person ; which union estab- 
lished between God and man a community of good and of evil. 
For the man truly became God, and may be rightly called immor- 
tal, all-powerful, and impassible, though He is of his own nature, 
created in time, infirm, passible, and mortal. God also became 
truly man, and, in virtue of this union, was born in time, feeble, 
miserable, passible, and mortal. Behold the example of Christian 
charity that the Son of God himself proposes to you, and which 
was exemplified in the primitive Church, when Christians had but 
one mind and heart, and possessed all things in common, and 
where the good of one was the good of all. Is it thus that you 
are united to your neighbor'? 

3d Point. The third example of Christian charity is the love 
that God bears to man ; for our love is a participation of his, or, 
rather, it is his love itself, for he loves all things through his Holy 
Spirit, which He has given us. And God loves all men without 
exception of persons. He desires for them the highest good ; He 
bestows blessings equally on all, and in all places, and heaps bene- 
fits even on his greatest enemies, without any merit on their part, 
but through the plenitude of his own pure goodness. Consider 
this model, and see if, up to the present time, you have imitated 
your divine model. 

4th Point. The fourth example of charity is the love that Jesus 



520 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Christ bears us. You know^ what He has suffered for you. Was 
He obliged to suffer thus ? He died for all men without excep- 
tion ; He inj parted to them his grace, and i\iade them partakers 
of his merits ; bequeathed freely, and to all, his treasures, which 
are the divine sacraments, w^hereb j they may enrich themselves ; 
and, notwithstanding all the injuries they do Him, He is always 
ready to receive them into his grace and favor a.gain. What in- 
juries have you done Him since you came to the use of reason? 
how often has He pardoned you ? how patiently has he borne with 
you! AVhat ought you not to do for Him? He has substituted 
your neighbor in his place ; all that you do to Him, be it good or 
evil. He considers as done to himself.* 



SEVENTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ANOTHER MODEL FOR THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR. 

1st Point. The fifth model is the love we have for ourselves — 
a love w^hich makes us prefer ourselves, and procure for ourselves 
every possible good, excuse our faults, turn away from ourselves 
a threatened evil, strengthen our weakness, and readily pardon all 
things in ourselves. It is thus that God wishes us to love our 
neighbor. " Love him," He says, " as yourself. Do unto others 
that which you would have them do unto you." Is not this just 
and reasonable? But do you act thus? 

2d Point. We ought to love each other as the blessed do in 
heaven ; for grace is the seed of glory, and our reward is measured 
by the extent of our charity. As the blessed then, have but one 
heart and one soul, and as all their treasures in the heavenly king- 
dom are in common, they have among them neither quarrels, dis- 
putes, ambition, nor jealousy, but that which makes the happiness 
of one, constitutes the happiness of all, in peace and an eternal 
union. Thus, we ought to make the happiness of our neighbor 
our happiness ; his pleasure, our pleasure ; his glory, our glory. 
AVe ought to enter into all his interests, preserve peace inviolably 
with him, and never offend or be offended with him, whatever 
subject or cause we may have for offence. 

3d Point. The last model of Christian charity is the union be- 

« Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



SEVENTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 521 

tween the members of the body. It is St. Paul who proposes this 
example to Christians, who are members of the mystical body of 
Jesus Christ, which is his church. There is nothing more dis- 
similar than the several members of the body ; one warm, the other 
cold ; one moist, the other dry ; one hard, the other soft ; one 
strong, the other weak ; one honored, the other despised ; one al- 
ways working, the other at rest. And, notwithstanding this, there 
is no schism between them, nor separation, nor jealousy, but, on 
the contrary, there is union and a wonderful sympathy. If one 
receives good, the others rejoice. If one suffers evil, all suffer with 
it. The head, which of all the members is the most noble and 
elevated, stoops to extract a thorn which wounds the foot. In a 
Avord, all good and every ill are in common among them, and all 
w^ork together in harmonious union for the good and defence of 
the whole. Oh admirable union ! oh wonderful charity ! oh per- 
fect model of Christian charity ! 

4th Point. Is it thus that you love your neighbor 1 Do you 
rejoice in his prosperity 1 Are you afflicted at the evil that befalls 
him? Do you excuse and support his weakness? Do you assist 
him in his necessities ? Are you ready to die for him 1 Alas ! how 
will you give your life for him, Avhen you are unwilling to bestow 
your goods on him. You are a proud and envious person ; you 
covet the possessions of others, and will take them if an oppor- 
tunity occurs for you to do so ; you wound the reputation of your 
neighbor by slanders ; you are jealous of his honors and his pros- 
perity ; so far from doing him good, your only desire is to do him 
evil. Ah, can you say, after this, that you love Jesus'? Can you 
approach that holy communion, which is a sacrament of union ? 
How will you reply to our Lord in the day of judgment, when 
He will reproach you with having despised, hated, and made a 
mockery of Him ; with having made Him the subject of your 
jests, your railleries, your calumnies and slanders ; with having 
maltreated Him in word and deed, and abandoned Him in his 
miseries. Question yourself, and consider how you would reply, 
how defend yourself, and w^hither w^ould you fly to hide yourself 
from the wrath of your judge. 

W^ORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' For what shall I do when God shall rise to judge ? And when 
He shall examine, what shall I answer Him V Job, xxxi. 

" Bear ye one another's burdens ; and so shall you fulfil the lav 
of Christ." Galatians, vi. 

*'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." St. Matt. xxii. 



522 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you 
love one another." St, John^ xiii. 

" These things 1 command you, that you love one another." 
St. John^ XV. 

" Holy Father, keep them in thy name, whom Thou hast given 
me : that they may be one, as we also are." St, John^ xvii. 



SEVENTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



CONCERNING THE PROPERTIES OF A LOVE FOR ONE's NEIGHBOR, 
AND THE DEFECTS WHICH ARE CONTRARY TO IT. 

1st Point. " Charity," says St. Paul, "is patient." She is not 
vindictive or resentful against her neighbor for any ill treatment 
that she may receive from him ; she bears with his vices and im- 
perfections with sweetness, and excuses them as much as possible ; 
if any one says any thing to offend her, she seems not to hear it ; 
she returns neither railing for railing, nor injury for injury, but 
suffers all without a word, without complaint, without revenge, 
and without showing any mark of resentment. 

Charity is sweet to all the world ; she does good to those who 
do her evil, and ranks among her best friends those who cause 
her the most pain. She offends no one, either by word or action, 
and if she happens to wound, or excite the anger of a neighbor, 
she asks his pardon, and expresses much sorrow for having of- 
fended him. 

2d Point. Charity is prompt to do good unto others; she flies 
to relieve the necessities, of her neighbor, serves him with joy, 
studies his interests, alleviates his cares, and takes extreme 
pleasure in serving him, regarding, in his person, Jesus Christ; 
she does not consult her own convenience in serving others. 

Charity is not imprudent, rash or audacious, but humble, modest 
and respectful; she is honored by all men, even by those who do 
not practise her sacred laws ; her conversation is honest without 
affectation, sincere without dissimulation, sweet without sharp- 
ness, free without frivolity, and -engaging without artifice; she 
makes a mockery of none, hates slander, buffoonery and wit which 
wounds her neighbor ; she always puts herself in the place of 
others, and questions herself thus : " How. should I feel were they 
to speak thus of me, or amuse themselves at my expense f 



SEVENTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 523 

Charity is'iiot haughty or proud. She does not elevate herself 
above others, or seek the praises of the world ; she is not wounded 
when she sees that others are more loved and honored than her- 
self; she is humble and regards every one as her superior ; she 
salutes them with respect, and honors them by offering them the 
best places. She is willing to render them the most humble ser- 
vices, and that, from her heart, with a tender and generous affec- 
tion, regarding in them the person of Jesus Christ. 

oD Point.. Charity is not artificial or dissimulating, but simple 
and candid ; she is prudent in her language, but never deceives 
any one ; she hates lying and deceit, and always speaks as she 
thinks ; her air is simple and modest, and though she may be 
civil, she never flatters. Insinuations, defiances, and rash judg- 
ments she regards as deadly poisons, of which she has infinite 
horror. She acts with simplicity, speaks with sweetness, enter- 
tains a kind opinion of all, and judges ill of none.* 



SEVENTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

CONCERNING OTHER PROPERTIES OF THIS LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR. 

1st Point. Charity loves mortification as the principle of her 
life, for she loves peace which can only be preserved by each one 
contributing to bear his part, by the mortification of his inclina- 
tions and passions, which are the cause of every disorder and e^l 
in the world. She is not in4)rdinately attached to the goods of 
this life, on the contrary, she willingly strips herself to clothe 
others, knowing that avarice is the devil which excites all the 
wars, divisions, injustices, troubles, and discords on earth. 

2d Point. Charity is" not hard and unpitying, but tender and 
sensible of the misery of her neighbor ; she looks on him as the 
person of Jesus Christ. This is the reason why she delights in 
prisons and hospitals, where she finds the miserable whom she as- 
sists, consoles, and ministers unto. She does not envy the tem- 
poral or spiritual good of her neighbor, on the contrary, she pro- 
motes both as much as possible. She believes all, hopes for all, 
does all, suffers all, gives all, embraces all, submits to all. Behold 
the spirit of Christian charity ! 

3d Point. Christian souj, are you actuated by this spirit of 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



524 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

charity 1 do you illustrate her precepts in your life ? Oh, great 
God ! I fear not. Enter into yourself without delay, and see if 
you have one spark of charity. Do you love your neighbor as 
yourself? do you do mito him as you would he should do unto 
you ? do you behave towards him in the manner that you- would 
wish him to act towards you ? Have you a good opinion of himi 
Do you love and honor him ? do you desire him good 1 do you 
do him good ? do you excuse his defects 1 do you bear them with 
patience? do you rejoice at his prosperity? do you pardon him 
when he offends you ? do you ask pardon of him when you in- 
jure him ? do you assist him in his corporal and spiritual neces- 
sities ] do you speak well of him ? do you say no evil of him ? 
do you not rejoice when you see him mortified and humiliated ? 

Oh, miserable one that I am ! how can I hope to be saved, when 
I have refused to love mv neio-hbor, and have offended him in 
every way, Alas, my Lord, Thou hast only to question me at 
the day of judgment. My conscience will judge and condemn me. 
What shall I do ? What will become of me ? Can I be saved with- 
out charity ? Impossible. I have not cherished up to the present 
tiniQ a spirit of charity ; but I desire to do so from this moment. 
I wish to change my whole life, and be converted in spirit and in 
truth, that in the day of judgment, the Son of God may thank me 
for having served and assisted Him in the person of my neighbor. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Charity is patient, is kind ; charity envieth not, dealeth not 
perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her 
own, is not provoked to anger, thinl^^eth no evil, rejoiceth not in 
iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth : beareth all things, believeth 
all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth." 1 Co-^- 
inthians^ xiii. 

" Who art thou who judgest thy neighbor ?" St, James ^ iv. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St Matthew^ ix. 1-8. 

'' At that time, Jesus entering into a boat, He passed over the 
water, and came back into his own city. And, behold, they brought 
to Him one sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And J esus, see- 
ing their faith, said to the nian sick of tlie palsy : Be of good 
heart, son ; thy sins are forgiven thee. And, behold, some of the 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 525 

scribes said within themselves : He bh^sphemeth. And Jesus, 
seeing their thoughts, said : Why do you think evil in your hearts? 
Whether is it easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee : or to say, 
Arise and walk ? But, that you may know that the Son of Man 
hath power on earth to forgive sins, then, said He to the man sick 
of the palsy : Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. 
And he arose, and went into his house. And the multitudes see- 
ing it, feared, and glorified God, that gave such power to man." 

ox THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus having cured two men who were possessed, 
permitted the devils which He drove out of them, to enter into a 
herd of swine, which straightway cast themselves into the sea. 
The inhabitants of the place, on witnessing this, besought Him to 
depart from their coasts, which He did. Who does not feel as- 
tonished at the conduct of these miserable creatures, and at their 
request to the Son of God, to depart from them ! Why did they 
drive from them Him who had come to save and deliver them 
from the dominion of the devil 1 It was because they were at- 
tached inordinately to their worldly possessions ; they preferred 
losing God rather than their herds. Alas ! for what can man 
hope after God has abandoned him ? 

How often, Christian soul, have you driven God away from 
your heart fur the sake of a vile interest, a fdthy pleasure, a dung- 
hill of honor, or an imaginary enjoyment? How often, when He 
has spoken to you, and plead with you to change your life, have 
you replied insolently to Him, and bade Him depart from you, 
that you neither desired to know nor follow Him? You have 
driven Him from your heart : how do you know that He will 
ever return ? 

2d Point. Jesus having departed from this country, came into 
his ovrn city, Capharnaum, where Pie was accustomed to reside. 
Our heart is the city of Jesus ; He enters therein by communion, 
and remains by grace. Do you not close the gates against Him ? 
Are you ready to receive Him? Oh happy soul! which will 
to-day receive such a guest — a King so powerful, so rich, so sweet, 
so liberal, and so desired of all nations ! He never entered into 
a habitation without doing good, and leaving his benediction 
therein. Ah, what ought you not to hope for if you receive Him 
with faith, humility, and devotion ! 

3d Point. Jesus was in the city when they brought to Him a 



526 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

man sick of the palsj, lying on a bed, and He cured him in con- 
sideration of the fliith of those who presented him. Is not your 
soul paralyzed ? From whom can it receive motion ? Is it from 
God, or from the devil, or from nature ? Do you hibor with joy 
and fervor in all that relates to his service? Is it not hv the 
operation of his Spirit that you speak, walk, and labor ? Oh, you 
are base in the service of God ; you are cold ; you are all on fire 
when you work for your ow^n interests, and languid and cold in 
the service of God. Surely your soul is paralyzed ! Present it 
here to the Lord; implore Him to restore it to health; your 
prayer will be granted if you have faith ; at least, then, ask others 
to present you, and after you are healed, do you in turn bring in 
also the paralyzed to this kind Physician. Alas ! there are many 
in the world, and you can do nothing more agreeable to Jesus 
Christ, who will cure them in consideration of your faith and 
charity."^ 



EIGHTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Jesus said to the sick man : "Be of good heart, my 
sony These words are sw^eet, tender, and charitable. He called 
a miserable sinner his child ! He excited his faith and hope, for 
without these nothing can be obtained from Go.i. He pours the 
oil of his mercy only into those vessels which are prepared by 
confidence in Him. Why are you afraid to approach Jesus Christ ] 
why do you communicate so seldom and with such difficulty? 
Listen to his words: ''My son, my da lighter, '''' He says, ''come 
unto me, I come not to destroy, hut to save you. Let not your 
heart he troubled, for it is I, your Father, your Saviour, your 
Spouse, and your Fhysician ! Go, your sins are all forgiven,''^ If 
He gave his grace to this sick man, who did not ask it. He will 
without fail impart it to him who asks it, confiding in his goodness. 

2d Point. The diseased man asked health, and not the pardon 
of his sins ; but as sin is the cause of all our maladies, this wise 
Physician, to cure the evil, removes the cause. If you are sick, 
examine your life, and see if it is not your sins which have brought 
these infirmities on you and ruined your health. Confess that 
you richly merit what you are suffering ; bear your ills with pa- 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditatiou. 



EIGHTEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST.' 527 

tience, and if you desire to be healed, purge your soul of its vices. 
Bodily suffering is often the result of spiritual suffering, and to 
relieve one you must cure the other. 

3d Point. The Scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus Christ of 
blasphemy, because He told the sick man that his sins were for- 
given him ; and He, seeing their thoughts, said : " Why do you 
think evil in your heart's V Then to convince them that He was 
God, and had power on earth to forgive sins. He cured the dis- 
eased man. Oh, hatred is a great evil ! oh, envy is a detestable 
passion ! The priests and the Jews hated and envied Jesus ! This 
is the reason they imputed evil to Him on all occasions, a.nd mis- 
construed his words. Are you not possessed of this evil spirit? 
Are you not jealous of the prosperity of your neighbor ? " Why^"^ 
said our Lord, '' do you think evil in yovr hearts V Why impute 
evil to your brother % Who has constituted you his judge ? What 
right have you to condemn him ? 

Oh, Lord Jesus, far be it from me to judge others, since I am 
more guilty than they ! I cannot see the heart of my neighbor, 
or penetrate his intention ; I am not his superior ; I have no au- 
thority over him. Thou alone art his judge, and hast assured us 
that to escape judgment, we must not judge others. When I judge 
my neighbor, let it be favorably ; when I judge myself, let it be 
strictly, and without favor. I will not presume to usurp the place 
of God. I will ahvays remember these words, '^ judge not^ and you 
shall not be judged^ Condemn not, if you would escape condem- 
nation. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Woe to them, for they have departed from me : they shall be 
wasted because they have transgressed against me." Osee^ vii. 

" Woe to them when I shall depart from them." Osee^ ix, 

" Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled." Psalm vi. 

" He c^e unto his own, and his own received him not." St. 
John^ i. * 

'• My son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself; but pray to the 
Lord, and He shall heal thee. Turn away from sin, and order thy 
hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all offence." JEcclesias- 
ticuSj xxxviii. 



528 - DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

EIGHTEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON LUKEWARMNESS REPRESENTED BY THE SICK MAN. 

1st Point. A soul that is lukewarm is miserable. She has 
lost all relish for God ; she is deprived of his consolations ; she 
has gone astray from the ways of his Providence ; she sins with- 
out fear or remorse; she dares not enter within herself ; she is 
diseased and unconscious of being so ; she is wicked and cannot 
discern her vices ; she is a slave and believes herself at liberty ; 
she rejects the inspirations of grace, and is insensible to the ap- 
peals of conscience; she dishonors virtue; she discredits devotion ; 
she scandalizes her neighbor ; she is a burden to the community ; 
she grieves the Holy Ghost ; afflicts the heart of God, and pro- 
vokes Him to cast her forth from it ; she obliges Him to thrust 
her away with violence, and when she is cast out, she can never 
hope to return, as that which is vomited up cannot be eaten again. 

2d Point. Am I in this perilous state ? am I fervent ? am I 
lukewarm ? am I all to God ? Do I ofler Him a divided heart ] 
Has He not cast me forth from his I Is He not on the point of 
doing so ? Oh, I am most unfaithful in tlie service of God ! I am 
negligent in acquitting myself of my duties ; I have distractions 
in praying ; I often omit my prayers ; I say them with much dif- 
ficulty ; they are wearisome to me ; they profit me but little ; I 
do no penance ; I have a horror of mortification ; I seek only my 
own pleasures ; I am free in speaking ; I do not keep silence ; I 
treat myself tenderly ; I do not desire to commit great sins, but 
have no scruple in committing lesser ones ; I am no longer fervent. 

3d Point. Oh, my divine Saviour ! I have long afflicted Thee, 
and have hung like a burden on thy heart ! Oh, I conjure Thee, 
do not cast me forth yet ; do not withdraw thy Hol>^pirit and 
the grace of thy protection from me. Exile me, if Thou desirest 
it, from every joy, but drive me not out of thy heart. Deprive 
m.e of all consolation, but not of thy grace and love. Ah, I am no 
longer lukewarm ; for it seems to me that I fear thy hatred more 
than all the pains of hell ; and I am resolved, with the help of thy 
grace, to work faithfully for my perfection. 

My soul, remember the state from which you have been de 
livered, and renew your first fervor : if you do not, they will take 
away your candlestick and put another in its place. Jesus will 
drive you out of his heart, into which, perhaps, you will never be 



EIGHTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 529 

allowed to enter again. Do penance, then, for the past; labor 
with niore fervor for your perfection ; renew your devotion, and 
be careful not to neglect it. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" I would thou wert hot or cold. But because thou art. luke- 
warm, and neither hot nor cold, I will begin to vomit thee out of 
my mouth." Apocalypse^ iii. 

*' Be mindful, therefore, from whence thou art fallen : and do 
penance, and do the first works. Or else I come to thee, and will 
remove thy candlestick out of its place, unless thou shalt have 
done penance." Apocalypse^ ii. 



EIGHTEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 



1st Point. It is good to hope in God. Hope is an excellent 
and admirable virtue. He wdio hopes in God, recognizes a First 
Cause, endowed with infinite perfections ; he allows himself to be 
conducted by his wisdom ; he leans on his power, confides in his 
goodness, abandons himself to his mercy, renders homage to his 
greatness, and depends on his Providence. Hope renders man 
god-like ; it makes the weak powerful, the poor rich, and the mis- 
erable happy. 

2d Point. Hope is never more necessary than when every thing 
encourages us to despair ; it is never more necessary to abandon 
ourselv^es to God than when He seems to have abandoned us. 
God gives his divine subsistence to him who strips himself of his 
human subsistence ; God gives his power to him who knows his 
own weakness ; God gives his riches to him who knows his own 
poverty. 

3d Point. Depend on no earthly support, and God will sustain 
you ; have no human subsistence, and you shall have a divine ; 
renounce your own light, and the wisdom of God will govern you; 
strip yourself of all your strength, and the power of God will bear 
you up ; divest yourself of your own opinions, and the sanctity 
of God will fill you. 

Oh, God all-powerful ! what am I, and what art Thou ? Thou 
art all, and I am nothing ! Thou art strength, and I am weakness ! 



630 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Thou art truth, and I am only a shadow ! Thou art light, and I am 
darkness ! Thou art holiness, and I am malice ! 

Oh, my God, m.y hope ! I abandon myself to Thee ; I lean and 
rest on Thee. Since, then, I have chosen Thee for my guide, if I 
lose my way, they will say that Thou art the cause of my wan- 
dering ; since I lean wholly on Thee, if I fall they will say that 
Thou art the cause ; since I have abandoned all my interests to 
Thee, if I am lost they will declare that Thou art the cause of my 
ruin. Can it be that Thou wilt abandon me ? can it be that Thou 
wilt suffer me to go astray? can it be that Thou wilt betray me? 
Oh, my God, my Father ! Thou canst not be unfaithful to a soul 
that casts all its cares on Thee. In Thee do I trust ; in Thee I 
place all my hope. 

4th Point. To know God, w^ithout being conscious of our own 
misery, gives rise to presumption ; to know our misery, without 
knowing God, gives rise to despair ; to know the abyss of our 
misery, and the abyss of the mercy of God, cause hope and joy 
to take up their habitation in the soul. God is not only God, but 
He is a God Mediator, a Saviour-God ! Jesus is no longer Jesus 
if you take from Him his mercy ; He is no longer Saviour if 
divested of his tenderness for sinners. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with de- 
lights, leaning upon her beloved?" Canticle^ viii. 

" The Lord is the strength of his people, and the protector of 
the salvation of his anointed." Psalm xxvii. 

" Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee ; He 
shall not suffer the just to waver forever." Psalm liv. 

'' Because he hoped in me, I will deliver him." Psalm xc. 



EIGHTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON FAITH 



1st Point. To be without faith is to be without reason ; and not 
to be a Christian is to be without reason. Faith is above reason ; 
but reason informs us that it is necessary to submit to faith ; and 
that he has no sense who wishes to submit to his reason the very 



EIGHTEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 531 

essential principle of his reason, and that to desire to comprehend 
^vhat is above his intelligence is to be without intelligence. 

2d Point. Though fliith is a mystery, reason convinces us that 
ours is true, and has been revealed to us by God himself. The 
antiquity of the Catholic religion; its establishment by poor 
fishermen ; its mvariable duration from that time ; the miracles 
which are wrouoht therein ; its diffusion over all the earth ; the 
purity of its doctrines and precepts ; the sanctity of those who 
live according to its laws ; the majesty of its ceremonies ; the 
profoujid science of its doctors; the almost infinite number of its 
martyrs ;• all tend to persuade the reasonable mind that there is 
either no religion in the world, or that this alone is true. 

3d Point. The Church cannot deceive me, because God himself 
hath revealed to her all the holy truths which she believes and 
teaches, and his Spirit abideth with her forever. Hence I cannot 
wander astray in believing. '* I would not," says St. Austin, 
" believe in the Gospel itself, if the Church did not declare to me 
that it is necessary.'' I will receive no meaning of the Scriptures 
which the Church does not authorize me to receive. One believes 
nothing, if he does not believe all that God has revealed, and all 
that his Church teaches. 

4th Point. To be a Catholic it is necessary to believe generally 
all the articles of fliith, without exception, that the Church teaches. 
It is necessary to believe with humility, through a profound sub- 
mission of spirit. It is necessary to believe all firmly, without 
doubt or discussion. It is necessary to believe all efficaciously, 
living conformably to one's belief. 

Oh my God ! thy Church is visible, and shining like the sun ; 
it enlightens all minds, as the sun enlightens the earth ; it gives 
life of grace to all the faithful, as the sun gives that of nature to 
all living bodies. I wish, then, to live and die a child of thy 
Church ; I renounce my own reason, and submit it to the empire 
of thy faith ; I am taught, by my reason, that my religion would 
not be divine if it \vere not above my reason. I say, without fear, 
that Thou wouldst not be God if Thou wert not incomprehensible, 
and that my soul could not adore Thee if my mind could com- 
prehend Thee. I submit, then, forever, my mind to thy faith, 
and my heart to thy law ; I believe, without doubting, all that 
Thou commandest me, and will practise all that I believe. Make 
me faithful, oh Lord^ that I may remain a true child of thy 
Church, and in the communion of thy fold. 



532 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction 
of things that appear not." Hebrews^ xi. 

" Without fliith it is impossible to please God." Ibid. 

" And we have the word of prophecy more firm : to which you 
will do well to attend, as to a light shining in a dark place." 
2 Peter, i. 

" For we walk by faith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians^ v. 

"Shall not my soul be subject to God?" Psahii Ixi. 



EIGHTEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON SPIRITUAL DIFFICULTIES. 

" Why do you think evil in your hearts P^ 

1st Point. I am tormented by evil thoughts ! Why do they 
torment you *? I fear that I shall consent to them ! This fear is 
salutary, and will protect you from them. I have fallen into sin ! 
You must quickly raise yourself. God is angry with me ! It is 
in your power to appease Him. 

2d Point. Walk with more vigilance ; work with more fervor ; 
speak with more circumspection ; serve God with more fidelity ; 
confess without delay ; humble yourself without disturbing your- 
self. One evil cannot be repaired by another. One sin is not to 
be cured by another sin. 

3d Point. This temptation is importunate ; yes, it is necessary 
for you. It preserves you in humility ; it discovers to you your 
weakness and utter dependence ; it prevents your presuming on 
your own strength. Without temptation you cannot be proved ; 
without conflict one cannot be crowned ; without the cross one 
cannot be saved. 

Oh my God, be Thou near me, and I will not fear the powers 
of hell, when they combine against me. Without Thee I am only 
weakness; I can do nothing of myself, but, Avith thy aid, I can do 
all. If my temptation is violent Thou canst moderate it : Thou 
wilt hinder the devil from tempting me, or give me stronger 
grace to resist his assaults. 



EIGHTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 533 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Let not your heart be troubled." St. John^ xiv. 

" And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary 
that temptation should prove thee." Tobias^ xii. 

" God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that which you are able; but will make also with temptation 
issue, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthicms^ x. 

" Blessed is the man whose help is from Thee." Psalm Ixxxiii 



• EIGHTEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

MOTIVES FOR HOPE. 

1st Point. Though I have committed sins, salvation is still 
open to me ; and though I am imperfect, it is my privilege to be- 
come holy. 

I am a great sinner, but God is as good as I am sinful. All 
holy as He is. He loves sinners, since it was for them that He de- 
livered his only Son to death. He invites them to return to Him ; 
He declares that He desires not their death, but rather that they 
be converted and live ; He promises to pardon them when they 
shall have confessed their faults and sought his forgiveness. Does 
God demand impossibilities ? So far from it, that He only in- 
vites them to convert themselves and do penance. Penance is 
available to salvation during life? He never despises a contrite 
and humble heart. What, then, do you fear, poor sinner 1 why 
lose courage ? why despair 1 

2d Point. Christ assures us that He came into the world to 
save sinners; He ate with them, and went much among them; 
He has never maltreated any one who applied to Him for succor ; 
He transformed himself into the likeness of a criminal, through 
love for them ; He died for them on a cross, to accomplish their 
salvation, and while He suffered, besought his Father to forgive 
them. A single drop of his blood was sufficient to efface the sins 
of all mankind, but in his generous love. He shed it all to the last 
drop. He gave to St. Peter and his successors the power to for- 
give sins. Can He command us to be more perfect than himself ] 
He commands us to forgive our enemies always, and from the 
heart, under pam of eternal death ; hence He will pardon from 



534 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

his heart, and at all times, the injuries we do Him, otherwise it 
would appear that He wished us to be more perfect than himself. 

3d Point. He not only desires our salvation, but also our per- 
fection, for every workman loveth his own work and wishes it to 
be pei'fect. Since He desires us to be holy and perfect like unto 
himself. He gives us the grace to become so. Does it not require 
a great perfection to love our enemies, to suffer injuries, to con- 
fess the faith before tyrants, and be willing to die for one's re- 
lio-ion 1 AVhere is that Christian who is not oblia'cd rather to 
die than commit a deliberate mortal sin 1 How can we keep the 
commandments of God if we do not overcome our passions and 
do great violence to ourselves ? God has ordered us to keep his 
commandments, and to love Him above. all things. We have, 
then, the grace to love Him and to become saints. 

Go on, my soul ! why do we lose courage ? God is infinitely 
good ; He desires to save us ; He spares us only for this ; He can 
render us perfect ; He desires it ; exhorts us to it ; prays us to 
become so, and supplies us with the means of sanctification. Your 
malice can be measured, but the mercy of God has no limits. If 
you offer from your heart one true sigh of repentance. Pie will 
save you ; if you wish to be delivered from your lukewarm state, 
He will deliver you. Oh, my Lord and my God ! I hope in Thee, 
and it is with the hope of thy assistance that I am going to begin 
from this moment to serve Thee, love Thee, and to lead a new 
and better life. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" For God so loved the world, as to give his only-begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish, but may have 
life everlasting." St John, iii:* 

" For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the w^orld, 
but that the world may be saved by Him." Jbid, 

" You know not of what spirit you are. The Son of man came 
not to destroy souls, but to save." St. Luke, ix. 

" Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will refresh you." St. Matt. xi. 

" As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the 
wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live." Uze- 
chiel, xxxiii. 

" Be converted, therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, 
believing that He will show his mercy to you." Tobias^ xiii. 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 535 

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. Matt, xxii. 2-1^. 

" At that time, Jesus spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees in a 
parable, saying : The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a king 
who made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants, to 
call them that were invited to the marriage : and they w^ould not 
come. Again he sent other servants, saying : Tell them that w^ere 
invited : Behold, I have prepared my dinner ; my beeves and fat- 
lings are killed, and all things are ready : come ye to the mar- 
riage. But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm, 
and another to his merchandise. And the rest laid hands on his 
servants, and having treated them conturaeliously, put them to 
death. But w^hen the king had heard of it, he was angry, and, 
sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their 
city. Then he saith to his servants : The marriage, indeed, is 
ready ; but they that w^ere invited were not worthy. Go ye, there- 
fore, into the highways, and as many as you shall find call to the 
marriage. And his servants, going forth into the ways, gathered 
together all they found, both bad and good : and the marriage was 
filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests ; and 
he saw there a man who had not on a w^edding garment. And he 
saith to him : ' Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having on a 
w^edding garment ? But he was silent. Then the king said to the 
waiters : Bind his hands, and his feet, and cast him into the ex- 
tei-ior darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashmg of teeth. 
For manv are called, but few are chosen." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The King who made this great feast for his Son, is 
God the Father, who desired his Son to espouse our nature by his 
incarnation. To render a marriage happy and perfect there must 
be an equality between those who are thus allied. God did not 
adhere to this law when He united himself w^ith the low^est of all 
created intelligences, which is the flesh of Adam ; but He has 
rendered it so beautiful, pure, holy and precious, that it is now 
equal with God, and makes only one person with Him. 

Oh fine marriage this ! O wonderful union ! God has lavished 
all his riches on man, and man has given Him, in return, all his 
poverty. God has bestowed on him his immortality and happi- 



536 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

ness ; man has given Him only sufferings and death. Oh admir- 
able exchange ! The Creator of man clothed himself with a body, 
wished to be born of a virgin, and, taking on himself our nature, 
has given us his divinity ! 

2d Point. The Son of God, not satisfied with uniting himself 
to his holy humanity, desires to unite himself to all men in par 
ticular. This is what He does in heaven, when He espouses all the 
])lessed by the light of his glory. Their marriage is indissoluble 
and the feast eternal. Consider the magnificence and spaciousness 
of the hall where this glorious feast is held ; behold its rich adorn- 
ments, and the splendor wherewith it is ornamented ; consider the 
guests, who surround their king without pride or ambition ; con- 
sider the feast. The saints shall be seated at the table of the< 
Lord, and be filled with the fatness thereof. Oh my God, happy 
are those who assist at thy feast, and eat bread in thy kingdom. 

3d Point. All mankind are invited thither, for God desires to 
save all men, and furnishes them with the means necessary for 
their salvation, but there are only a few who assist at this feast ; 
not because they cannot, but because they will not, as the Gospel 
shows us. There are others who do not refuse, but excuse them- 
selves ; they defer their conversion from day to day, because they 
wish to amass riches for their children, and are too much attached 
to their pleasures and pursuits. Others put to death the servants 
of the King who invites them ; they are those who stifle the in- 
spirations of grace, by which they refuse to put on the nuptial 
robe, and reject the invitation to the feast. Are you one of those 
audacious souls who impiously declare that they do not desire to 
obey God, or attend his feasts ? Are you one of those indolent 
ones, who defer coming w^hen God invites them, and bid Plim w^ait 
until they are ready '? Are you a deicide, w^ho crucify Jesus Christ 
anew in your heart, trample Him under foot, profane his blood, 
and outrage his Holy Spirit, by stifling those graces which cost 
Him blood and life? What will you say when the inexorable 
hand of death is on you 1 What wdll you reply, when you are 
questioned in the day of judgment."^ 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



J!^1I^ETEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 537 

NINETEENTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 



1st Point. There are feasts not only in heaven, but also on 
earth. The Son of God espouses in holy communion the souls of 
all such as receive Him worthily. " He who is united to God 
by charity," says St. Paul, " becomes one spirit with Him ;" but 
he who unites himself to God by communion, becomes not only 
one spirit, but also one flesh with Him. Oh, what an honor for a 
creature to become the spouse of God ! Oh, what advantages 
may not the soul claim from such an alliance ! Jesus lavishes all 
his goods on the soul Pie espouses; his body, soul, humanity, 
divinity, grace, virtue and merits ; but what does He receive in 
return ] Misery, poverty, ingratitude and perfidy. What does 
He demand ? Your heart, love, and obedience. Ah, my soul, will 
you any longer refuse your heart to Him who has so freely given 
you his '? Will you give nothing to Him who has given you all ? 
Will you refuse to come to his feast ? What do you fear ? ^Yhy 
do you tremble as you approach ? It is a God of infinite love who 
desires and waits to espouse you. And still you excuse yourself 
— still you do not desire to partake of this divine feast, wherein 
He gives you himself 

2d Point. The king having been informed how ill his servants 
had been treated by the guests whom he had invited, sent his 
messengers of wrath to burn their cities, lay waste their country, 
and put all to the sword. Behold how God chastises those who 
excuse themselves, or neglect to approach his holy table under 
the pretext of being engaged in their own affairs. He sends them 
afflictions without end ; overthrows their fortunes ; deprives them 
of their possessions ; consumes them with infirmities and sickness, 
and takes them out of the world at a moment when they least ex- 
pect it. Their contemptuous refusal kindles the anger of God ; 
as we understand in the Gospel. Are you not one of those who 
ill treated the servants of God, and resist his inspirations ? Learn 
what it is to kindle the anorer of the Almio^htv. He declares that 
you shall not eat at his table on earth or in heaven, if you persist 
in your vain and insolent excuses. He will give your place to an- 
other. 

3d Point. The king called in the poor, the blind and the lame 
to assist at the feast of his Son. Place vourself among this miser- 
23* 



538 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

able company, and do not allow your spiritual infirmities to pre- 
vent your approaching the holy table. You are poor, blind, and 
lame ; and it was such as you who are invited to the banquet ! 
A physician is not needed for the healthy, but for the sick. 
" Come to me," says the spouse, " all ye who labor and are loaded 
with the burden of your iniquities" — come quickly, I will console, 
strengthen, comfort, and heal you. 

4th Point. The king on going into the hall of the feast, saw 
there a man who had not on the wedding garment. He had him 
taken, bound hand and foot, and cast into exterior darkness. It 
is necessary to have on the nuptial robe of grace when we assist 
at this august feast ; it is necessary to have a heart purified from 
all mortal sin, to communicate worthily ; it is necessary above 
all, to have charity towards our neighbor, for without union there 
is an abuse of communion. He who approaches the holy table 
without beinoj reconciled with his adversarv shall be driven out 
from the banquet-hall, and be cast into hell, where he shall find 
only darkness, torments, regrets, weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Oh Lord my God, what shall I do ] If I refuse the honor Thou 
hast conferred on me by inviting me to this feast. Thou threaten- 
est me with thy anger, and my damnation is inevitable ; and if I 
assist thereat without the nuptial robe, I shall be cast into exterior 
darkness. All this appears terrible to me ; but there is no delib- 
erating on the part that I must take. I desire to clothe myself 
with the nuptial robe, that I may become thy spouse. Oh my 
soul, it is not a little thing to be the spouse of a God ! Prepare 
yourself, then, for this great honor in the best manner that you 
can — wash your robe if it is soiled by any sin ; above all, go and 
be reconciled with your neighbor ; and you shall approach the table 
of the Lord, and partake of the wondrous feast that He has pre- 
pared for you, and be inebriated with pleasures which eye hath 
not seen, ear heard, nor the human heart conceived. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" And I say to you, that none of those men that were invited, 
shall taste of my supper." St. Liike^ xiv. 

" Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring 
in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame." 
Ibid. 

" He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 
me, and I in him." Si, John, vi. 

" Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him." 
St. Matt. XXV 



NINETEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 539 

" A certain man made a great supper and invited many. And 
thej begun all at once to make excuses." St. Luke, xiv. 



NINETEENTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE TENDERNESS OF JESUS FOR SINNERS. 

1st Point. Jesus loves sinners; He condescended to frequent 
their company ; He willingly eats with them ; He declares that it 
was for them that He came into the world ; He was never known 
to reject any one who addressed himself to Him ; He even 
showed grace to an adulterous woman whom the people desired 
to stone. 

Jesus illustrates his interest and tenderness for sinners by four 
excellent figures. The first is that of a merchant who sold all 
that he possessed for the purpose of buying a pearl of great price. 
This pearl is our soul, and the merchant is the Son of God. What 
has He given to purchase it ? His goods, his blood, and his life ; 
and you have given it to the devil in exchange for a dunghill of 
honor and an imaginary enjoyment. 

2d Point. The second is that of a woman, who, having lost a 
piece of silver, lit her lamp and swept her house, when, having 
found it, she invited her friends to rejoice with her. "Thus," 
says the Son of God, " there is joy in heaven upon one smner doing 
penance." '* Observe," says St. Thomas, '* that the Son of God 
does not say that He has bought this drachm of silver, (by which 
is meant our soul,) at the price of his blood, but that He has 
found it, for He so much esteems a soul, that He believes He has 
it for nothing, although He has paid the price of his blood for it. 
He does not invite the angels to rejoice with the man that was 
lost and then fgiund, but with himself, as if he were of such infinite 
consequence to Him, that He could not enjoy the felicity of his 
heavenly kingdom without him !" Oh, senseless man ! how can 
you despise a soul that has cost the Son of God so much ? How 
can you give it away to the devil, who is your worst enemy, for 
nothing, when it was purchased at so dear a price ? 

3d Point. The third is that of a shepherd, who left ninety-nine 
sheep and went into the desert to search for one that was lost, 
which, having found, he placed it on his shoulders, and invited all 
his friends to rejoice with him. When he found the strayed one, 



540 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

he did not beat it with his crook, or allow his dog to punish it for 
wandering, nor did he drive it before him, but lifted it in his arms 
and bore it on his shoulders, perhaps, because he thought it was 
fatigued, or, perhaps, because he feared it woulS wander astray 
again. " Thus," saith the Son of God, '' there shall be more joy 
in heaven upon the simier doing penance, than for ninety and nine 
who are just." ^ 

4th Point. The fourth is that of the prodigal son who re- 
turned, consumed with miseries and debaucheries, to his father's 
house. His father seeing him approach, ran out to meet him, em- 
braced and blessed him, and put a new robe on him, and placed 
a ring on his finger ; after which he treated him magnificently, 
with every mark of rejoicing, without once reproaching him for 
his crimes and disobedience, or giving him an opportunity to utter 
the apology he had framed for the occasion. Behold how Jesus 
receives a sinner who, in the character of a true penitent, returns 
to Him ! He receives him by his graces and inspirations ; He 
gives him the kiss of peace, forgets the past, receives him into 
his love and confidence, fills his heart with consolation, and bids 
his angels to take part m his joy. 

Oh my God ! my Saviour ! Thou art sweet and charitable. 
Thou art tender and merciful towards sinners ! I, like Adam, felt 
afraid to meet Thee after my sin ; I hid myself in the thickest 
shades, but now that I know thy goodness, I will return to Thee 
with confidence, and never abandon myself to despair. Seek me 
and save me ; I am a poor prodigal who has consumed all the 
goods of nature and of grace that I received from Thee ; I have 
sinned, oh my God, my Father ! before heaven and in thy sight, 
and no longer deserve to be called thy child ; it is even too great 
a favor to ask to be numbered among thy servants. Have mercy 
on me, oh God of compassion, for I am resolved to do penance, 
and give as much joy to the angels by my conversion, as 1 have 
given them grief by my sinful life. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, 
the seed of Abraham my friend. In whom I have taken thee from 
the ends of the earth, and from the remote parts thereof have 
called thee, and said to thee : Thou art my servant; I have chosen 
thee, and have not cast thee away." Isaias, xli. 

" Fear not, for I am with thee ; turn not aside, for I am thy 
God; I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the 
right hand of my just One hath upheld thee." Ibid. 



NINETEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 541 

" Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the 
Lord's." Romans^ xiv. 

"For vou are bought w^ith a great price." 1 Corinthians^ vL 



NINETEENTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON WHAT GOD DOES TO GAIN SINNERS. 

1st Point. First, He seeks them, which is astonishing. One 
does not seek an enemy except through revenge, through hopes 
of gain, or from motives of fear. But God has nothing to hope 
or fear from a sinner ; He can annihilate him or precipitate him 
into hell. Why, then, does the Majesty of heaven seek you, 
wicked and perfidious man ? Because He loves you, and desires 
your salvation. 

How often has God, after having been outraged and irritated 
by your crimes, sought you, and invited you to be reconciled with 
Him ? How often has He pardoned you? He is ready to par- 
don still. God does not expect you to be more merciful than 
himself; He commands you, under pain of eternal death, to for- 
give your enemies as often as they offend or injure you. Will 
He not, then, forgive you, his creature, all your offences against 
Him? 

2d Point. Not only does God seek the sinner and pardon him as 
often as he humbles himself and implores his grace, but He seeks 
him first, and invites him to be reconciled. When the question 
arises of being reconciled with an enemy, it is extremely painful 
to nature to make the first advances ; each one believing himself 
to be in the right, waits to receive satisfaction for the offence that 
has been offered. What outrages have we not committed against 
God ? We are invariablv the afjfijressors, and the fault is always 
on our side. Nevertheless, He seeks us first by the graces with 
which he enlightens our minds and touches our hearts. Oh my 
God ! remember what I am, and as Thou art infinitely good, do 
not sutfer me to become more wicked, but deliver me from the 
power of evil. 

3d Point. Not only does He invite the sinner to be at peace 
with Him, but He asks it in the manner of a suppliant, just as 
if He had offended us, ajid we had it in our power to inflict evil 
on Him! '''We are, ilierefove^'' says St. Paul, ''ambassadors for 



542 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

Christy God as it loere exhorting by us. For Christ we beseech 
you^ be ye reconciled to God.''^ It is not only through his ambas- 
sadors that He pleads \yith us, but He himself ^vaits at the door 
of our heart, and knocks continually for admission. '' The voice 
of my beloved knocking : Open to me^ for my head is full of dew^ 
and my locks loith the drops of the nighty\ ^^ Behold I stand at the 
gate and knock f He saith : '' if any man shall hear my voice^ and 
open to me the door^ I will come in to him^ and will sup ivith him^ 
and he ivith me,'''l 

Ah my soul, will you always be engaged in warfare with your 
God'? Will you never open unto Him the door of your heart ] 
How often has He not knocked there by his inspirations ? When 
will you give Him entrance ? Do you desire Him to await your 
pleasure? What w^ill you gain by making war with God? He 
is strong and mighty, and you must, sooner or later, fall into his 
hands ! Let us, then, prostrate ourselves at his feet, implore his 
grace and mercy, and attach ourselves to his service by the most 
inviolable fidelity. § 



NINETEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE MEANS OF EXCITING IN OURSELVES THE LOVE OF GOD. 

1st Point. We ought to love God for his amiable and adorable 
perfections. He is not only infinitely good, beautiful, wise, pow- 
erful, kind, and merciful, but He is goodness itself, beauty itself, 
wisdom itself, power itself, sweetness and mercy itself He is the 
goodness from which all good is derived ; the source of all beauty, 
wisdom, power, sweetness and mercy. Oh my soul, if you love 
that which is good, why do you not love Him who is goodness 
itself] if you love that which is beautiful, why refuse to love 
Him through whom all is beautiful, w^ho constitutes all beauty, 
and w^ho is infinite beauty itself. 

2d Point. We ouglit to love God, because He commands it; 
it is a great favor that He even permits it, but He expressly com- 
mands it, and makes it the first and greatest commandment of 
the law, which obliges all men indispensably, because they have 
hearts to love, and grace to keep a commaudment so sweet, so 
just, and so reasonable. My soul, do you not desire to obey 

♦ 2 Corinthians, v. t Canticles, v. » $ Apocalypse, iii. 

§ Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



NINETEENTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 543 

jour God ? Of what nature is your heart composed, if you can- 
not love a Being so good and merciful ? Can you justly say, that 
his law is difficult to keep, when He only commands you to love 
Him, and gives you grace and his Spirit to do so ? He does not 
command you to despoil yourself of all your earthly goods, nor 
to make a vow of chastity, nor renounce all liberty ! He only 
commands you to observe his law, and to give Him the prefer- 
ence in your heart above all creatures, who dispute the possession 
of it with Him. Can any demand be more just or easy to com- 
ply with] 

3d Point. We ought to love God, because He first loved us. 
His love is as ancient as his being. He has loved us from all 
eternity, with a love of preference. He has chosen us from among 
barbarous nations, whom He has left in the darkness of infidelity. 
He has loved us with a disinterested love, having no need of our 
services, and expecting no benefits from us. He loves us with a 
constant and teiider love, such as that of a mother, which is the' 
symbol alluded to in the Scriptures. He loves us with a strong 
love, surmounting all difficulties in the way of loving ungrateful 
and rebellious children. He loves us with an infinite love, and 
desires to give us eternal joys in his heavenly kingdom, which is 
a good so infinite that neither the heart nor mind of man can 
measure or conceive it. To obtain this boon for us He has given 
us the blood of his own Son, which is an infinite price. In fine, 
He loves us all in general, and each one in particular, being ready 
to die for us individually, if it were necessary. Oh my soul, to 
whom will you give your heart, if not to Him who has given you 
his ? To whom is your allegiance due, if not to Him who has 
paid an infinite price for you i Oh beauty, ever ancient and ever 
new, too late have I known Thee ; too late have I loved Thee. 
Let us love God, my brethren, because He has first loved us. 

We ought to love God, because He has made us like unto 
himself, and himself like unto us ; and because He unites himself 
closely to us. Every creature loves its own resemblance, why, 
then, do we not love God, who has imprinted on us the image of 
his own divinity, and clothed himself with our nature, to win our 
love ? Is He not united to us by all the ties of consanguinity, 
affinity, and all the qualities of a parent? Is He not our father, 
our mother, our head, and our spouse ? Does He not love us by 
his Holy Spirit ? Does He not treat us as his members ? Where 
are the members who do not acknowledge, obey, and love their 
head ] He is our Shepherd, and we are his sheep ; He is our Re- 
deemer, and we are his slaves ; He is our Master, and we are his 



544 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

disciples; He is our King, and we are his subjects; He is our 
Captain, and we are his soldiers ; our Father, and we are his 
children. If we are sick, He is our Physician ; if we are blind, 
He is our Guide ; if afflicted. He is our Consoler ; if persecuted, 
He is our Defender. He is the best and most faithful of friends ; 
He changes not for novelty, interest, inequality, prosperity or 
adversity, as other men do. Have we any other end than God ? 
Can we have any other ? Is it not to love, serve, and possess Him 
that we are in this world ? 

Oh, my God, I well know that my heart was made for Thee, 
because it can find no repose out of Thee. Unhappy is that soul 
who withdraws itself from Thee, expecting to find something bet 
ter than thyself.^ 



NINETEENTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. In fine, we ought to love God, for the benefits that 
He has conferred on us, in the order of nature, grace and glory ; 
benefits great in quantity, infinite in quality, pure in intention, 
and continual in their endurance. All good and perfect gifts pro- 
ceed from the Most High, the Father of Lioht. God has con- 
ferred great benefits on us in the past. He continues to bestow 
still greater on us in the present, He will load us with a still 
greater number in the future, and that by his own pure goodness, 
without being induced to do so by our merits, or deterred by our 
sins and ingratitude. What benefits so great as our redemption, 
justification, and the glory of paradise ? Call to mind, if you can, 
all the benefits with which He has loaded you since your birth, 
and the evils from which He has preserved you. 

2d Point. Is Pie under any obligation to love you ? Has He 
need of you '? Why, then, does He love you 1 It is to render you 
more happy by his love, and because you are poor and miserable. 
He communicates liis gifts to you, which are so excellent in their 
substance, so precious in their quality, so grand in their multitude, 
and so diversified in their kind ; so stable in their endurance, so 
useful iu their designs, so proper at all times, and so convenient 
to all men in all places, and all that He asks, in exchange, is your 

* Words of Scripture at llie end of the following Meditation. 



NINETEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 545 

poor love. He still bears our miseries, and immolates himself 
for us. For what ? To deliver us from eternal death, and pro- 
cure for us the enjoyment of eternal felicity. 

3d Point. Oh great God ! oh source of infinite good ! oh centre 
of all hearts and love ! how is it that I have not loved Thee until 
now? that I have not responded to thy favors, but with the 
deepest ingratitude? Oh, 1 wish to begin to love Thee, my God, 
my strength, and my light ! I will love Thee, my God, because 
Thou art infinitely good, and hast loved me from all eternity, 
loaded me with benefits, and made it impossible for me to be 
happy without Thee. I will, then, love Thee with all my heart, 
all my soul, and with all my strength. I will love only Thee, and 
nothing beside Thee. I will love Thee entirely, ardently, and con- 
stantly. I will love Thee in time, that I may love, adore, and 
praise Thee through all eternity. Amen. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
mind." St. Luke, x. 

'' By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because 
God hath sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we may 
live in Him." 1 St. John, iv. 

"Let us, therefore, love God, because God hath first loved 
us." Ibid. 

" I will love Thee, Lord, my strength." Psalm xvii. 



NINETEENTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SMALL NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 

1 ST Point. God desires the salvation of all mankind ; He sheds 
his light over all ; He does not refuse his grace to any one ; He 
delivered his Son unto death for the salvation of sinners ; He de- 
clares that He requires not the death of the sinner, but rather that 
he be converted and live ; He never abandons a man who does 
not first abandon Him ; He seeks, from morning until night, for 
laborers for his vineyard, and gives them their reward. Why,' 
then, are there so few saved 1 

2d Point. It is because nature is corrupt, and has an insatiable 
hankering for evil; it is because mankind attach themselves to 



546 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

the pleasures of the senses which debauch the heart ; it i^ because 
they follow, blindly, the maxims of the world, which are opposed 
to those of Jesus Christ; it is because they live in sin, and do no 
penance ; it is because they do not comply with what is necessary 
for their salvation until it is too late, or wait until death surprises 
them before they attempt to accomplish it; it is because they 
only cease sinning when they are deprived of the power to do so; 
it is because they think only of the things of time, ignoring those 
of eternity ; it is because they rebel, and refuse to keep the com- 
mandments of God ; it is, finally, because they die as they have 
lived ; and as the greater part of them pass their lives in sin, it is 
not surprising that they die in their sins. 

3d Point. At the hour of death God despises those who have, 
during life, despised Him. The devil seldom releases at death 
the prey that he has acquired during life. One corrects, with 
great difficulty, in old age, the evil habits he has contracted in his 
youth. Man carries with him to the grave the vices of his youth ; 
they penetrate the marrow of his bones and sleep in the dust with 
him. Why, then, do we wonder that so many are damned, and 
so few saved ? 

Oh, my Father and my God ! what will become of me after 
death ] If I am saved, it will be through thy pure grace ; if I am 
lost, it will be through my own pure malice. What canst Thou 
do more for me than Thou hast done ? Is grace w\anting to me 1 
Is it not in my power to receive the sacraments, which are the 
assured means of my salvation ? Can I not do penance, at all 
times, for my sins, as Thou hast commanded me'? Can I not do 
that which so many persons, as weak as myself, have done? " Oh 
Israel," saith God, " if thou art lost it will be through thy own 
perverseness ; if thou art saved, it will be through my grace and 
mercy, which is never wanting to any." 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" W^hat is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I 
have not done to itf Isaias^ v. 

" His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth : and they 
shall sleep with him in the dust." Job^ xx. 

'• Destruction is thy own, O Israel : thy help is only in me. 
Osee^ xiii. 

'• All have gone aside, they are become unprofitable together . 
there is none that doeth good, no not one." Psalm lii. 

" The holy man is perished out of the earth ; and there is none 
upright among men." Micheas, vii. 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 547 

TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

TfiE Gospel. St. John^ iv. 46-53. 

"At that time, there was a certain ruler, whose s(3n was sick 
at Capharnaum. He having heard that Jesus was come from 
Judea into Galilee, went to Him and prayed Him to come down 
and heal his son': for he was at the point of death. Jesus there- 
fore said to him : Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe 
not. The ruler saith to Him : Lord, come down before that my 
son die. Jesus saith to him : Go thy way, thy son liveth. The 
man believed the word that Jesus said to him, and went his way. 
And as he was going down, his servants met him ; and they 
brought word, saying, that his son lived. He asked, therefore, of 
them, the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him : 
Yesterday, at the seventh lx)ur, the fever left him. The father, 
therefore, knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to 
him : Thy son liveth : and himself believed, and his whole house. 



ON the GOSPEL. 

1st Point. K certain ruler vrent in search of the Son of God, 
to beseech Him to cure his son. But for this affliction, he would 
not perhaps have thought of Him. Thus it is that the miseries 
of this life oblige us to have recourse to God. It is chiefly the 
rich and powerful of this world, who never resort to God, except 
when driven by necessit}^ to do so. It is for this end that He 
sends us all manner of crosses ; He desires to disgust us with the 
world, detach us from life, maj^e us desire death, and sigh inces- 
santly after the felicity of the saints ; He wishes us to understand 
and feel our dependence on Him, and the continual need we have 
of his grace- He lets us alone under the oppression of our mis- 
eries, until we have learned that He alone can relieve us. 

2d Point. What i-s your state % Are you sick or well % Are you 
in prosperity or adversity % Have you trouble and sorrows to con- 
tend with? Are yon bowed down with affliction'? If not, you are 
worthy of compassion ; for there is nothing more miserable than 
a man to whom nothing is wanting, but the wrath of God. If you 
are in affliction, why do you not address yourself to God, and iin- 
plore Him to assuage the bitterness of the evil that weighs on 
you % Does He not visit you with these sorrows % Is there a 



548 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

power on earth that can deliver you from them, without. his per- 
mission 1 And if it is his will to relieve and console you, is there 
a power in hell that can prevent liim ? You say that you pray ; 
yes, but in a state of mortal sin. You are his declared enemy — 
you are carrying on an implacable w^arfare with Him, and yet 
}'0u wish Him to hear and answer your prayers for pardon and 
deliverance! You obey none of his commands; and yet you are 
so arrogant and presumptuous as to desire Him to graiit you all 
that you ask for, without delay ! You have crucified Him in your 
heart, and you wish Him to heal the diseases of that same- heart ! 
You w^aste his graces, and expect Him to preserve and sustain 
you in goodness. Reconcile yourself with God ; ask pardon for 
your sins; seek his kingdom and justice, and all else shall be 
added unto you. 

3d Point. Jesus is not only the physician of the soul, but also 
of the body. He sends us infirmities either to punish us for our 
sins, or to disgust us with life ; either to humble our spirit, or in- 
crease our merit ; to make us take part in his sufferings, or to be 
honored by our patience ; for there is nothing that gives more 
glory to God than tranquillity in suffering, and patience under 
affliction. It exemplifies alb the Christian virtues in their highest 
perfection; makes faith shine forth amidst darkness; hope triumph 
over infirmity ; charity sweeten the bitterest sorrow ; and resigna- 
tion and conformity reign in the soul, even when God seems to 
hav^e abandoned it to its griefs. But it is the purpose of his de- 
sign, by this apparent severity, to oblige the sinner to have re- 
course to Him'; to change his life; to acknowledge his goodness 
and power; to love Him, and to crown Him with joy after He 
has delivered him from the womb of death. It is therefore neces- 
sary, like this ruler, to address ourselves to Him, and implore 
Him to heal our bodily ills, if the*removal of our infirmities and 
miseries will not be hurtfid to our soul. 

4th Point. Do you have recourse to God 1 Do you pray to 
Him when you are sick ? Do you ask Him for the health of your 
soul before that of the body ? Do you take as much, pains to 
cleanse your soul as you do to purify your body of disease 1 
Have you not more confidence in physicians than in Jesus Christ] 
Do you know that they are powerless to aid you, unless God en- 
lightens them with regard to your disease, and blesses the remedies 
that they apply ? How is it, then, that you confide in no higher 
power than your physicians? How is it that you depend so en- 
tirely on mere human skill, and listen with m(n*e eagerness and 
faith to their opinions than the words of Jesus Christ 1 Are they 



TWENTIETH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 549 

omnipotent to save ? Alas, no ; when all human remedies have 
failed, there is nothing left for them to do, but to recommend you 
to put your conscience in order and receive the great physician of 
souls ! 

Confess that you hav^ neither faith, hope, nor charity ; confess 
your want of resignation to the divine will, and your doubts of 
divine Providence. Imitate the example of king David, who, 
in his sore affliction addressed himself to God in these words : 
" Have mercy on me^ Lord^ for I am weak ; heal me, Lord^ 
for my bones are troubled. And my soul is troubled exceedingly,''^* 



TWENTIETH MONDAY AETER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. The ruler besought our Lord to come to his house, 
because his son was near unto death. Jesus discerning his want 
of faith, in thinking that He was powerless to restore him unless 
present, reproached him with incredulity ; but he did not feel cor- 
rected by his rebuke ; on the contrary, he besought the Son of 
God more fervently to grant his petition, in these words : ''''Lord, 
come down before that my son die.'''' Jesus said to him : " Go thy 
loay^ thy son livethy Believing, he went home, apd found that 
-his son was healed. Alas, how sick your soul is ! it is consumed 
with fever ! there seems but little to hope for ! how tepid it is in 
the service of God ! with what- furious passions H has to combat ! 
Alas ! it is in danger of death, if not already dead. Hasten, then, 
to the Church ; confess your sins with as much sorrow as you can ; 
present yourself at the altar, and say to the Son of God : Lord, 
thou knowest the state of my soul ; Thou beholdest how sick it is, 
and how near unto death ; descend quickly, O Lord, come to my 
house, that I mav be cured^ for Thou alone canst ^ive and preserve 
life. 

2d Point. ^''Unless you see signs and wonders you believe not''"* 
Does not Jesus Christ address these words to you 1 Are you not 
one of those incredulous persons who do not believe unless they 
see and touch 1 What, then, is faith ? It is a divine virtue, which 
makes us believe that which we do not see with our bodily eyes, 
and that which does not reveal itself to our spiritual sight. It de- 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



\ 



550 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

pends alone on the Word and authority of God, which makes it 
believe that which seems impossible to human reason. Who, 
then, will not be astonished at the infidelity of a soul who finds it 
difficult to believe what God declares and, reason teaches? lie is 
most unreasonable who doubts that God is in us, that He fills the 
heavens and the earth, and that He is infinitely wise, good, and 
powerful. Why, then, do you believe He is no longer in you 
because you are not sensible to his presence? why, then, do you 
abandon yourself to grief when He sends you affliction ? Do you 
not know that it is intended for your good ? Would you dictate 
to God '? What cause have you to doubt his wisdom, power, and 
goodness ? 

I believe, oh my God ! do Thou increase my faith. Bear with 
my incredulity. I renounce the light of my own reason ; I desire 
no longer to listen to the suggestions of my senses ; it is suffi- 
cientf for me to know that Thou hast spoken ; for me to believe 
without doubting, however impossible human reason may make 
it appear. In whatever state I may be, I shall be contented, since 
faith assures me that Thou dost think of me, love me, and cause 
all things to work together for my good. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The other disciples, therefore, said to him : We have seen the 
Lord. But he said to them : Unless I shall see in his hands the 
print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, I 
will not believe." St John, xx. 

" Because thou hast seen me, , Thomas, thou hast believed : 
blessed are they«that have not seen, and have believed." Ibid, 

" Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are 
from God." JEccles. xi. 

" When he slew them, then they sought Him : and they re- 
turned, and came to Him early in the morning." Psalm Ixxvii. 

" For whereas he had always feared God from his infancy, and 
kept his commandments, he repined not against God because the 
evil of blindness* had befallen him ; but continued immovable m 
the fear of God, giving thanks to God all the days of his life." 
Tobias, ii. 



TWENTIETH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 551 



TWENTIETH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

llcMtatioiL 

ON THE WORDS, " HE WAS AT THE POINT OF DEATH." 

Venial Sin, 

1st Point. ^^ He was at the point of death,"'"' Venial sins lead 
to those which are mortal. They indicate a diseased soul, whose 
safety is in peril. The sinner stops not where he falls, but is 
dragged still lower by the weight of his sin. The devil and his 
passions accelerate his progress, giving him no rest until he falls 
into the lowest abyss, which is mortal sin. 

2d Point. '''He ivas at the point of deaths Great sins can be 
avoided only by the assistance of a powerful^grace. Venial sins 
cool the charity of the soul towards God, and that of God tOAvards 
the soul, after which He ceases to give his grace so powerfully or 
so frequently as before. He no longer enlightens the spirit, or 
impresses the will, as formerly, but suffers them to become ob- 
scured and hardened. The mind no longer maintains an inferior 
position in the obedience it owes its superior, the soul, because the 
latter has striven against God, and been unfaithful to Him. God no 
longer defends the soul, as in former times, against the assaults and 
temptations of the devil, the snares of the world, and the lusts of 
the flesh ; He no longer leads it away from the dangerous occasions 
of sin, or visits it during pious exercises or prayer, with consola- 
tions and extraordinary demonstrations of his love ; He permits 
it to be tormented by exterior pains, trials, vexation, and disgust, 
which force it to seek for consolation among creatures, and at last 
cause it to fall into some great sin. ^'Rebuke me not^ Lord., in 
thy indignation.^ nor chastise me in thy wrath,'''' At least^ chastise 
me as a father, and not as a judge, and send me trials which will 
recall me to Thee, instead of separating me from Thee. 

3d Point. '''He was at the point of deaths Venial sin leads to 
mortal, because it inflames concupiscence, which is the fever spot 
of the soul ; it diminishes charity as much as it increases concu- 
piscence. The evil proclivities implanted in our very nature in- 
cline us towards this evil, and it requires but a slight impetus to 
ensure a lamentable fall. Several venial sins do not make one 
mortal sin, but an indulgence in little sins inevitably dispose us 
to the commission of those that are deadly to the life of the soul. 

Oh my God ! have I forfeited thy friendship ? have I not lost 



552 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

» 

thy grace? Behold the sins of my life, the darkness of my 
mind, the lukewarmness of my will, my disordered passions, the 
revolts of my flesh. Save me, oh my God ! and abandon me not 
to myself; let all mortal miseries befall me rather than mortal 
sin.'^ 



TWENTIETH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. ^' He was at the point of deaths Inordinate attach- 
ment of the heart to creatures inevitably separates it from the 
love of its Creator. It is impossible to serve two masters, with- 
out loving the one and hating the other. The heart, between its 
Creator and the creature, is like iron between two magnets, which 
in the same degree as it approaches one it recedes from the other ; 
it is attracted by its affections to one object, and repelled by its 
aversion from the other. However pure and divine love may be 
between creatures in the beginning, it soon becomes human, w^ith- 
out passing beyond the limits of reason ; then natural, and excites 
the first ^QVQv of concupiscence ; from natural it becomes impor- 
tunate ; from importunate carnal, and from carnal impure. In 
fine, from having commenced with the Spirit, it ends with the flesh. 
Oh, how many holy and devout souls fall into this slough because 
they do not stifle the sentiment in its birth ; presume too much 
on their own strength by exposing themselves to dangerous occa- 
sions ; love too many persons without discretion, and with too 
much tenderness ; and commit small infidelities. Is your heart 
free ? is it not trammelled by some inordinate aflfection, led astray 
by importunate desires, and altogether occupied with creature 
love ? Rouse yourself from this state ; break asunder quickly 
the chains that bind you ; separate yourself from all that sepa- 
rates you from God, for you are near unto death. 

2d Point. The soul that allows itself to commit often and vol 
untarily little faults insensibly divests itself of all horror for those 
which are great. The habit of venial sin makes us familiar wdth 
mortal. There is a great resemblance betw^een them. Both pro- 
ceed from concupiscence ; both are tempted and led on by the 
same demon ; both are attracted by the same pleasures ; both pro- 
gress towards the same object ; both seek the same company, and 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTIETH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 553 

both follow the same example. The familiarity which is con- 
tracted with venial sin, gradually decreases all fear of mortal sin ; 
it divests it of that frightful aspect which rendered it so formid- 
able ; and when dread diminishes, effrontery increases ; from being 
accustomed to live in the practice of one, it is natural and easy 
to pass to the other. Is not this your experience ? is it not true 
that you once fled from it as from a deadly serpent, but now ex- 
pose yourself to it, approach it, and defile yourself by contact 
with it ? Assuredly you will receive a deadly wound. 

3d Point. ''''He was at the point of death.'''' Habit is second na- 
ture, which seems stronger and more indomitable than the first ; 
it is a torrent which carries away all that it finds in its current 
without resistance ; it is habit which urges a soul on and increases 
its inclination to evil ; it acquires power over it by reiterated acts, 
the little contributing as much as the great to its final downfall. 
It is well that a number of venial sins does not make one mortal 
sin ; nevertheless, it is true that many light faults dispose the soul 
to the commission of those which are great. If you accustom 
yourself to habits of untruth in little things, when your passions 
are inflamed you will be unscrupulous in your betrayal of the 
truth without reflection or thought. Can you doubt this, when 
the Son of God himself assures you that he who is unfaithful in 
little things will also be unfaithful in great ? 



TWENTIETH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME SUBJECT. 

1st Point. Mortal sin is a revolt of the soul, which does not 
wdsh to render unto God the obedience due Him, and to submit 
its will to Him, as to its first beginning and last end. Slight 
faults do not separate us from Him as our end ; but from these, 
says St. Thomas, the will accustoms itself not to submit to the 
legitimate order of nature and grace. Alas ! how many are dead, 
who only think they are sick ! Oh what a great evil it is to ac 
custom one's self to evil ! 

2d Point. Nature does not go from one extreme to the other, 

without passing through the intermediate space ; the soul does not 

become wicked at a blow, but serves its apprenticeship in vice as 

well as in virtue. It begins with little faults, then it commits 

24 



554 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

great. Grace and mortal sin are the two extremes ; one passes 
from one to the other only through venial sin. A small leak 
will cause a vessel to sink. A single spark is quite enough to 
set fire to a forest. One evil thought is enough to kill the soul 
if that soul is not prompt in stifling it. All beginnings are small 
but their results are great. A river at its source is a mere thread 
of water, which makes its way along with much difficulty, but 
from the discharge of other streams, it becomes in its progress a 
great and rapid torrent, which inundates lands and sweeps away 
human habitations. 

3d Point. ''"He was at the 'point of death P What causes the 
death of the soul % The devil, to whom little infidelities gives the 
power to tempt it more strongly and irresistibly to fall into greai 
sins. Our soul is a citadel, which is besieged by invisible foes. 
It is only necessary to make a small breach and they will enter, 
and render themselves masters thereof God reigns over us by 
order, the devil by disorder ; little faults arise from disorders and 
irregularities, which give Satan the power to tempt into great sins 
the soul which has fallen into the habit of venial siu. 

You are greatly tempted. Why is this % It is because you 
are not faithful in little things. You permit yourself little licenses, 
which insensibly lead you into great ones. Oh, my soul, be 
afraid of evil that leads to death ! Be afraid of little sins, if you 
desire to avoid great. There is nothing wanting whereby to gain 
heaven ; nothing wanting whereby to lose it. A venial sin cannot 
damn you, but it may be the beginning of eternal loss, inasmuch 
as it may lure on to mortal sin ; and mortal sin leads to hell. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" He that is faithful in that Avhich is least, is faithful also in that 
which is greater." St. Luke^ xvi. 

" Behold how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth." St. 
James^ iii. 

'• He that contemneth small things, shall fall by little and lit- 
tle." Ecclesiasticus^ xix. 

'' He "that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that 
which is greater." St. Luke^ xvi. 



« 
TWENTIETH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 555 

TWENTIETH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE NATURE AND BAD EFFECT OF A VENIAL SIN. 

1st Point. All venial sin is offensive to God, although it does 
not separate us from his grace. It is an evil which is the result 
of guilt, consequently greater than nil other evils and pains that 
one can suffer in this life. God loves pain, but He can never 
love guilt. God produces pain, but He cannot produce or ap- 
prove of the guilt of sin. Nor will He sanction a venial sin, 
even were it to effect the greatest good ; even if it were to save 
all the damned in hell, or prevent the damnation of all men. Oh, 
monstrous evil, which God hates essentially, necessarily, and in a 
manner infinitely ; and notwithstanding this, I do not fear it. I 
commit it without scruple; I ridicule those who do fear it; I 
seek my pleasure and amusement in it. 

2d Point. Venial sin dishonors God. It wounds his infinite 
perfections ; it offends his sanctity ; it is contrary to his purity ; 
it provokes and outrages his justice ; it defies his power; it stirs 
the jealousy of his love, and grieves his spirit. It is wanting in 
the fidelity that a creature owes his Creator, a subject his king, a 
friend his friend, a wife her spouse. Though not of the same na- 
ture as mortal sin, venial sin, though slight, is still a sin, because 
it is an evil against God. Oh, terrible words ! It were better 
for all creatures that they had never been born, than tiiat they 
should be guilty of the least enmity against God, or injure his 
honor and interests by the commission of evil. But you prefer 
doing this rather than deprive yourself of a momentary gratifica^ 
tion. 

oD Point. You dishonor God more effectually by one sin, 
than you can honor Him by all your good works; and it is better 
to abstain from one venial sin than to perform all sorts of good 
actions. You do no good, but are always doing evil. You prao 
tise no good works, but incessantly practise those which are bad. 
Is this the life a Christian ought to lead w^ho was placed in the 
world only that he might do good, and not evil ; to honor God 
and save his own soul ? 

4th Point. Venial sin wounds and disfigures the soul ; it tar- 
nishes its lustre and beauty; it obscures the understanding, 
weakens the will, rouses the passions, inflames concupiscence ; 
takes from it the ifear of God, disrobes it of his presence, chills 



556 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

its love ; renders it weak and languishing, and deprives it of all 
relish for devotion. What wonder, then, that being reduced to 
this state, it should fall into great sins ; that God now treats it 
w4th more coldness, and the devil tempts it with greater power? 

For a thoughtless act of curiosity Lot's wife was transformed 
into a pillar of salt. Those two great servants of God, Moses 
and Aaron, were hindered, by a little w\ant of faith, from enter uig 
into the promised land. Fifty thousand Bethsamites w^ere struck 
dead for having regarded the Ark with a little curiosity. Seventy 
thousand persons were smitten and died with the plague, in conse- 
quence of the vainglory of King David. One of the greatest 
saints on earth, should he die in venial sin, could nut enter into 
heaven until he had expiated it in the fire of purgatory, the pain 
of which surpasses all the torments of this life. Can you still 
imagine that venial sin is nothing ? Can you still make it a jest, 
and derive amusement from it 1 

Oh, my God ! I little knew how great an evil venial sin is. I 
did not believe, up to the present time, that it could dishonor Thee 
in such a manner ; thiit it could wound thy divine perfections, 
grieve thy holy spirit, and outrage in a manner thy infinite good- 
ness ; that it could offend Thee as King, as Father, and as Spouse ; 
disfigure my soul, disorder its actions, weaken its strength, while 
it augments that of its enemy, and causes it to incur the peril of 
eternally losing thy grace, by the commission of mortal sin. Oh, 
God of all goodness ! I have offended Thee. Oh, God of majesty, 
I have despised Thee ! Oh, God of consolation ! I have afflicted 
Thee! 

Oh, my soul ! in w^hat state are you ? Are you living, or 
dead? Oh, you are luke-warm ! you are dying! Enter into 
yourself. Fear the anger of God ! Avoid little faults if you do 
not wish to fall into greater ones. Never esteem as little that 
which afflicts the Spirit of God, and which may be the first step 
towards hell. 

WORDS or SCRIPTURE. 

" And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." Ephesians, iv. 

" But 1 say unto you, that every idle w^ord that men shall speak, 
they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment." St. 
Matt. xii. 

" Of one spark cometh a great fire." Ecclesiasiicus^ xi. 

" Well done, good and fliithful servant : because thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things : enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." St, Matt, xxv. 



TWENTIETH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 557 



TWENTIETH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE WORDS, " UNLESS YOU SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS, YOU 

BELIEVE NOT." 

1st Point. Reason is the light of man ; faith that of the Cliris- 
tian. To be a man it is necessary to have reason ; to be a Chris- 
tian it is necessary to have faith. Cxod desires to be honored by 
the mind of man as well as by his heart. The heart of man 
honors God when it submits to his law ; the mind of man honors 
God when it submits to faith. His mind submits perfectly when 
it believes that which it does not understand ; his heart submits 
entirely when it does that which is contrary and displeasing to its 
natural desires. 

2d Point. Am I a rational being ] am I a Christian ? am I gov- 
erned by reason '] am I governed by faith 1 Al'ds ! I am like a 
brute, because I am governed only by the senses ; I believe 
nothing unless I see it, feel it, touch it ; if 1 am not sensible of the 
presence of God within me, I believe Him far away from me ; if 
I taste not the consolation of his presence in my devotions, I aban- 
don them, or say them with coldness, and without fervor. 

3d Point. Faith consecrates the mind of man, and directs all 
his thouorhts to relioion ; it makes him submissive to the authoritv 
of God, and finally conducts him to glory ; it unites him with 
divine wisdom ; it enlightens him with the pure light of truth ; it 
renders him as right, certain, and infallible as God himself, be- 
cause he is governed by his Holy Spirit, and believes only what 
He has revealed and taught. That faith is not divine which be- 
lieves only what it sees and touches ; such faith is, at least, doubt- 
ful and imperfect. Faith is a divine light, which shines in dark- 
ness and hides itself in the broad daylight. If, therefore, I de- 
pend only on the senses whereby to believe, I live like a beast ; if 
on reason, I live as a mere man ; if on faith, I live as a Christian. 

4x11 Point. The just live by faith : it is necessary, then, to act 
by faith to be just ; it is necessary to judge of things by the light 
of faith, and not by that of the senses and human prudence ; it is 
necessary to esteem things according to the rules of faith, and not 
of the world. We must love what the world hates. 

What does faith say to the grandeur of the world ? That it is 
an abomination before God. What of its riches ] That it is im- 
possible for those who love them passionately to be saved ; and 



558 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

that it is difficult to possess them without loving them. What of 
its pleasures'? That those who have their consolations in this 
world shall not have them in the next ; to be a Christian, it is ne- 
cessary to crucify the flesh ; that he who lives according to the 
flesh cannot please God ; and that one suffers the torments of hell 
in proportion as they have partaken of and enjoyed the pleasures 
of this life. 

Do you believe these truths % If you do not, you are no Chris- 
tian. If you believe them, why do you lead a life contrary to 
your belief? You. believe that it is necessary to become as a 
little child to enter the kingdom of heaven, and yet you desire to 
be great, and are ambitious of honors ! You believe that riches 
are accursed by God, and yet you desire them ! You believe that 
poverty is the happiest state, and yet you wish not to be poor ! 
You believe there is nothing better or more salutary for the soul 
than suffering, and yet you murmur when God afflicts you ! You 
seek only after pleasures, enjoyment, good cheer, and gratification 
of the senses. Will there be any need of a judge to accuse you 
in the day of judgment ? St. John says, " He who believes not is 
already judged ; and he who believes, and yet lives contrary to his 
belief, is already condemned." 

AVORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'' Behold, he that is unbelieving, his soul shall not be right in 
himself: but the just shall live in his faith." Hahacuc^ ii. 

" For we walk by fliith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians^ v, 

" The just man liveth by faith." Romans^ i. 

'' But woe to you that are rich : for you have your consolation." 
St, Liike^ vi. 

"Then Jesus said to his disciples : Amen, I say to you, that a 
rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." St, 
Matt. xix. 

" And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to pass 
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the 
kingdom of heaven." Ibid, 

'•They who are of the flesh cannot please God." Romans^ viii 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTEB PENTECOST. 559 

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. Matt xviii. 23-35. 

" x\t that time, Jesus spoke to his disciples this parable : The 
kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who would take an ac- 
count of his servants. And when he had begun to take the ac- 
count, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. 
And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he- 
should be sold, and his wife and children, and 'all that he had, and 
payment to' be made. But that servant falling down, besought 
him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 
And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, let 
him go, and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was 
gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants that owed him a 
hundred pence, and laying hv/Id: of him, he throttled him, saying: 
Pay what thou owest. And his fellow -servant, falling down, be- 
sought him, saying : Have patience with me, and I will pay thee 
all. And he would not : but went and cast him into prison, till 
he should pay the debt. Now his fellow-servants seeing what 
was done, were very much grieved : and they came, and told their 
lord all that was done. Then his lord called him, and said to him: 
Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou 
besoughtest .me. Shouldst not thou then have had compassion 
also on thy fellow-servant, even as I had compassion on thee? 
And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he 
should pay all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father 
do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother frona your 
hearts." 

Ut^itati.ait. 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The king who commanded his servants to render 
unto him an account of their stewardships signifies God, from 
whom we have received all the goods of nature and grace, where- 
by to honor Him in this world, to serve Him, love Him, labor 
for his glory, keep his commandments and do his will. How 
many have you received fr^mi Him? What use have you made 
of them ? For what purpose have you employed your memory, 
ludgment, goods, credit, authority, strength, beauty, science, elo- 
quence, and the other treasures entrusted to you ? What profit 
have you derived from so many graces, so much knowledge, so 



560 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

m 
many inspirations, from so many good impulses, so many confes- 
sions, so many communions, so many sermons, so many prayers, 
and so many meditations ? 

2d Point. Ten thousand talents make an immense sum. Con- 
trast the value and multitude of the graces that God has bestowed 
on us, with the infinite number of our sins, and the horrible pun- 
ishment due them ! They are called debts because by them we 
have violated our obligations, and owe penance to God either in 
this world or the next. Oh, how many sins have you not com- 
mitted in this life! oh, how often has not God forgiven you! 
How often have you not promised to satisfy Him, and change 
your life ! and notwithstanding, you have done nothing ! 

What account will you render to the justice of God ? IIow 
can you satisfy Him? Only in your heart by penance; and in 
the wounds of Jesus Christ by confidence in his merits. 

3d Point. The first sound that will salute your trembling soul 
after death, will be these horrible words : " Render unto me on 
account of thy steivardship,'''' Then, as at the last judgment, the 
books will be opened. They will examine your bills and receipts ; 
the talents that you have received, and the use you have applied 
them too. Thev will behold the frightful number of the sins which 
you have committed. They will demand a strict account of all, 
even an idle word. What will you then dol What will you 
answer? How will you defend yourself? Put then your affairs 
in order, defer not this important affair until death shall overtake 
you, when there will be no time to retrieve the past or provide 
for the future, God is at present, for us, a God of mercy and 
consolation; then. He will be a God of justice and vengeance. 
Imitate the wicked servant in the good, and not in the evil he has 
done.* 



TWENTY-rmST MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. The servant, finding himself in a ruined state, and 
on the point of being thrown into prison, cast himself down at 
the feet of his lord, and thus humbled before him, acknowledged 
his debt, confessed his insolvency, conjured him to grant him a 

* Words of Scripture at tlie end of the following Meditation, 



TWENTY-FIRST MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 561 

little time, and promised to make satisfaction. It is in this way 
that we must do penance for our sins. First, it is necessary to 
acknowledge ourselves sinners, loaded with infinite debts, and in- 
capable of satisfying divine justice for the least one of them ; 
secondly, it is necessiuy to humble ourselves before God, throw 
ourselves at his feet with sincere sentiments of grief and confu- 
sion ; thirdly, it is necessary to implore of Him pardon, grace, 
and mercy, with the hope of obtaining from his infinite goodness, 
an answer to our petition ; fourthly, it is necessary to conjure 
Him, by the merits of his Son, to have patience with us ; grant 
us a little time, and much grace, to acquit ourselves of our debts. 
Then it is necessary to promise Him to repair the past and work 
more faithfully for the future ; to do penance to expiate our sins, 
by a sincere sorrow for them, and frequent confessions ; above 
all, to do good works to repair the evil we may have done, and to 
satisfy the justice of God. Is this the way you do penance] are 
you resolved to do it? For what do you wait? It cannot be that 
you are deferring it until you come to die, when you will be in no 
condition to think of God or of yourself 

2d Point. The king, touched with compassion, restored him to 
liberty, and remitted to him all his debts 1 Oh goodness of our 
God ! which remits infinite sins to the soul which humbles itself 
before Him and implores forgiveness. This servant only prayed 
for time wherein to cancel his obligations, and his lord forgave 
him all the debt, and that, simply because he prayed for mercy. 
It is thus that God comports himself towards us ? He grants us 
infinitely more than we ask for, provided we have acknowledged 
our guilt, humbled ourselves before Him, and prayed unto Him 
from the depths of our heart, with a sincere resolution to serve 
Him better and more faithfully. But,. Lord, Thou knowest that 
this servant, to whom Thou hast given so much, will abuse thy 
gifts ! No matter ; God never remits sin to a penitent soul except 
through pure and infinite mercy, and his knowledge of the future 
does not cause Him to withhold it. Is it, then, just to refuse ab- 
solution to penitents on the simple doubt that they may fall again 
into their sins ? 

3d Point. " Have patience with me^ and I vnll pay thee ally It 
is necessary that God should have much patience with us, who offend 
Him continually, who repay his blessings with ingratitude, who 
fall incessantly into sin, who serve Him with so much lukewarm- 
ness and indifference, and who, when we wish to abandon Him, 
say : " Lord, have patience with me." But what is so astonishing, 
we desire to suffer nothing for Him. He says sweetly to you in 
24* 



562 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

your pains, your afflictions, your aridities, your desolations, your 
infirmities, your sicknesses, and in the ill treatment you receive 
from your neighbor. Have patience. Suffer this for me. 1 will 
reward you magnificently in the world to come; and yet you do 
nothing for Him, but murmur continually against Him ; call in 
question his providence, and accuse- Him of injustice ! Oh, do you 
not fear the chastisement of the bad servant ? 

4th Point. When he had left the presence of this clement 
master who had forgiven him so large a debt, he met one of his 
companions, who owed him a hundred pence ; and, refusing to be 
touched by his tears or prayers, he threw him into prison. The 
king, having learned this from his people, called him, and after 
having justly reproached him with his ingratitude, he delivered 
him to the torturers who caat him into prison. All our sins and 
relapses arise from this : when we retire from the presence of 
God, we forget his benefits. How cruel in this wicked servant to 
treat his brother so harshly and unmercifully, for a sum which 
was as nothing compared to the one just remitted to him ! What 
do you owe God '? Infinite debts. What does your neighbor 
owe you 1 Nothing in comparison. God remits to you all your 
debts, on condition that you show grace to your neighbor ; and 
yet you are liard on him, wish to suffer nothing from him, and 
exact all that he owes 3^ou with rigor. Ah, miserable one that 
you are ! behold, the angels go and lay their complaints before 
God, w^iich, moving Him to just anger. He will revoke the grace 
that He has shown you, and punish you for pardoned sins as if 
they had not been pardoned ; He * will then deliver you over to 
devils, who will cast you into a prison from w^hence you will 
never be liberated, being insolvent, and that because of your in- 
gratitude to God and your inhumanity towards your brother. Oh, 
1 will then be patient with him, that God may be patient with me ; 
I will forgive him his little debts, that God may remit mine which 
are infinite ; and I will pardon him all, that God may in the end 
pardon me all. 

W^ORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" If He examine on a sudden, who shall answer Him ? or who 
can say : Why doest Thou so f Joh^ ix. 

" If Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities. Lord who shall stand 
it T Psalm cxxix. 

" I went and hid thy talent in the earth.'' St. Matt. xxv. 

"Take ye away, therefore, the talent from him, and give it to 
him that hath ten talents." Ibid, 



TWENTY-FIRST TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 563 

" Give me an account of thy stewardship." ^S"^. Luke, xvi. 

" I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have 
not concealed. 1 said I will confess against myself my injustice 
to the Lord; and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin." 
Psalm xxxi. 



TWENTl^FIRST TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 

1st Point. God is before me, He is with me, He is in me. 
He is before me, to take note of my ways ; He is with me, to 
guide and govern me ; He is in me, to sustain and animate me. 
I ought, then, to be always before God, with God, and in God. 
Before God, considering only Him ; with God, working only for 
Him ; in God, finding repose only in Him. 

2d Point, hi whatsoever place 1 may be, I am never alone, for 
God is present with me ; in whatsoever labors I am engaged in, 
I work not alone, for God works with me ; whatsoever griefs I 
sutler, I suffer not alone, tor God himself sustains me, and helps 
me to carry my cross. Oh my God ! is it possible that Thou art 
always thinking of me, and I never think of Thee? that Thou art 
always with me, and I am never with Thee ? that Thou shouldst 
always work for me, and I neveg* work for Thee ? I am in Thee 
as in a Paradise, and Thou art in me as in a hell, where Thou seest 
only crimes, and hearest only blasphemies ! Oh my God I from 
henceforth I will, by thy grace, change my life, that Thou may est 
dwell in me as in a Paradise, where Thou shalt behold only good 
actions, and hear only thy praises. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

'• Lord, Thou hast proved me, and known me : Thou hast known 
my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou hast miderstood my 
thoughts afar off: my path and my line Thou hast searched out." 
Psahn cxxxviii. 

''Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee 
from thy face ? If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there ; if I de- 
scend into hell, Thou art present." Ibid. 

'• But Thou, O Lord, art among us, and thy name is called upon 
us." Isaias, xiv. 

'• For in Him we live, and we move, and we are." Acts, xvii. 



504 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TWENTY-FIRST WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Ptiiitatioiu 

ON THESE WORDS, " SO ALSO SHALL MY HEAVENLY FATHER DO TO 
YOU, IF YOU FORGIVE NOT EVERY ONE HIS BROTHER FROM YOUR 
HEARTS." 

1st Point. God commands you to forgive : will you obey 
riim? If one in authority, on whom your worldly interests de- 
pended, ordered you to do so, would you disobey him ? Who 
has so high an authority, or so great a right to command you as 
God ? Are you his servant if you wish to do only what pleases 
yourself? Is it not by the performance of difficult things that one 
shows his love and obedience 1 The pleasure of the servant ought 
to yield to that of his master. 

2d Point. That which God forbids you, He forbids to all men ; 
that which He commands you to do. He likewise commands to 
all men. As He forbids you to hate your enemies, so also He 
forbids them to hate you ; as He commands you to love all men, 
so also He commands all men to love you ; and will damn eter- 
nally all who disobey Him. Is there any thing more just than 
this commandment ? 

3d Point. God commands you as king, pleads with you as 
father, gives you an example as master. What has He not 
suffered for you 1 how patiently has Pie not borne with you 1 In 
one hand He holds patience, in the other vengeance ; one is infin- 
itely dear to Him, the other is necessary to Him ; He has to 
avenge himself because He is just ; He desires to bear patiently 
with us because He is amiable. Oh, charity in my God ! He 
abandons vengeance to preserve patience ; He renounces one to 
satisfy the other, and you abandon patience to exercise vengeance ! 
God pardons with joy, and punishes with regret; He pardons 
through inclination, and punishes through necessity. If we are 
subjects, let us obey our king; if we are children, do the will of 
our father ; if we are disciples, follow the example of our master.* 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTV-FIRST THURSDAV AFTER PENTECOST. 565 



TWENTY FIRST THURSDAY ATTER PENTECOST. 

llcMtiition. 

OTHER REASONS WHY WE SHOULD FORGIVE OUR ENEMIES. 

1st Point. Whv do you hatb voui brother] I^ he not your 
fellow-man 1 is he not, like yourself, a child of God ? is he not a 
Christian, and a member of the same fold of Jesus Christ with 
you ? is he not purchased with the same blood, baptized in the 
same Church, nourished bv the same sacraments, and called to 
the same glory as yourself? If you hate him because he is a sin- 
ner, you must hate all men, because there are none exempt from 
sin. Are you 1 Who is not at liberty to hate you on this 
ground? Were you righteous when Jesus loyed you? Where 
would you be, what would be your hope, if Jesus had not loyed 
sinners ? 

2d Point. They despise you : you merit it. Will they also 
despise eternal punishments ? They deprive you of your goods ; 
who has permitted it ? Is it not God ? Has He not a right to 
recall what He has loaned, when He pleases, and through whom 
He pleases ? Pegard not him as an enemy who helps you to win 
merit and ^ain heayen. Peyenore not yourself on him for whom 
God has reserved vengeance ; leave him then with God, who will 
defend and avenge your cause, and punish him eternally, unless 
he makes satisfaction for the evil he has done you. Suffering is 
a punishment due the sinner ; vengeance is a right which belongs 
to God. 

3d Point. God furnishes you with a rule of mercy ; you fur- 
nish God with a rule of justice. If you do not show mercy unto 
others as He has shown it unto you, He will take vengeance on 
you, even as vou have done it unto others. If you love those 
who hate you, God will love you ; if you hate your enemy, God 
will hate you; if you condemn him, God will condemn you; if 
you excuse him, God will excuse you ; if you pardon him, God 
will pardon you ; if you punish him, God will punish you. 

Oh. sweet and merciful Jesus, when I behold Thee dvincr on the 
cross for thy enemies, I no longer feel the outrages inflicted on 
me by mine. When I hear Thee pray for those who put Thee to 
death, I am inspired with- pity for those who have attacked and 
sought to deprive me of my honor and goods. My father, par- 
don them, for they know not what they do! They see*not the 
evil thev do themselves, and I know that I have merited their ill- 



565 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

treatipent by my sins. They are not conscious of the wickedness 
of their designs, or they would at once abandon them. Enlighten 
them, oh mercifai Jesus, and give me grace to forgive them from 
my heart, for the evils they have done me. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Love your enemies : do good to them that hate you. Bless 
them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. . . . 
Judge not, and you shall not be judged : condemn not, and you 
shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. . . . 
For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be 
measured to you again." Si. Luke, vi. 

" For if you forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father 
will forgive you also your offences." St. Matt. vi. 

"But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father 
forgive your offences." Ibid. 

'• Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Ibid. 



TWENTY-FIRST FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

OTHER MOTIVES OJF PATIENCE. 
(See Sixth Wednesday after Easter, page 332.) 



TWENTY-FIRST SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST 



OTHER MOTIVES OF PATIENCE. 
(See Sixth Thursday after Easter, page 324.) 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Matt, xxii. 15-21. 

" At that time, the Pharisees, going, consulted aniong them- 
selves how to ensnare Jesus in his speech. And they send to 
Him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying : Master, we 
know that Thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God 



TWEXTr-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 567 

in truth, neither carest Thou for any man : Thou dost not regard 
the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what Thou dost think : is 
it lawful to give tribute to Cassar, or not '? But Jesus, knowin^r 
their wickedness, said : Why do ye tempt me, ye hypocrites 1 
Show me the coin of the tribute. And they offered Him a penny. 
And Jesus saith to them : Whose image and inscription in this ? 
They say to Him, Caesar's. Then He saith to them : Render, 
therefore, unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God 
the things that are God's." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. It was their design to ensnare our Lord. Oh the 
malice and blindness of men ! What malice to lay a snare for a 
God ! what blindness to imagine themselves endowed with power 
to effect their object ! Oh, how many there are in the world who 
conspire against Jesus. Alas ! how few there are who unite them- 
selves together to defend his interests, work for his glory, and ex- 
tend his empire. Christian soul, unite yourself with some holy 
society against the wicked, to defend Jesus, and give battle to his 
enemies; above all, do good, in order to receive Him this day 
into your heart. Behold, the Spouse approaches ; He desires to 
abide in your house and eat with you. Oh what an honor and 
consolation! What return can you make Him ? Is the hall 
ready ? is it well prepared ? 

2d Point. "Master, we know that Tliou art a true speaker.'''' 
God has given us his only Son to instruct us ; the devil presents 
to us the world, to seduce and deceive us. Jesus is truth, and all 
his maxims are eternal truths ; the world is an impostor, all its 
maxims are falsehoods, errors, and heresies. Jesus teaches us the 
way of salvation ; the world, the way to perdition. Ah, then, 
why believe the world in preference to Jesus Christ ? why rather 
follow the maxims of the world than the truths of flxith ? You 
declare yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ. Oh wicked disciple ! 
you believe not his words nor obey his commands. If He de 
clares the truth, why do- you not believe Him? and if you believe, 
why do you not obey? 

3d Point. ''"Why do ye tempt me^ ye hypocrites P'^ Hypocrites 
tempted our Lord. They wished to prove his wisdom, to ascertam 
if He could penetrate the secret thought of their heart, and if it was 
possible to deceive and ensnare Him. Alas ! there are hypocrites 



568 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

still on earth ; many false devotees, who, under a beautiful ap- 
pearance of piety, are devoid of truth and charity; and who, 
while they converse like angels, live like devils. Remember the 
anathema that the Son of God pronounced against hypocrites, and 
endeavor to live in such a manner that your interior will corre- 
spond with your exterior life, your faith with your works, and 
your heart with your words.* 



TWENTY-SECOND MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. ''Whose image and inscription is this P^ We are 
all formed to the image of God, and are bound to conform to our 
divine original. Thus we ought to imitate God in his holiness, in 
his perfection, in his charity, in his sweetness, patience, purity, 
justice, and mercy. Do you imitate this divine example? at 
least do you endeavor to do so ? Do we see in your life and your 
actions any traits of the holiness of God? Whose image do you 
bear ? Alas, it is not that of God but of the devil. You are 
like him, haughty, malicious, passionate, and vindictive; you have 
disfigured the image of God, and there is no longer a trace of 
Him in vour countenance. 

2d Point. " Render unto Ccesar the things that are Ccesar^s^ 
and unto God the things that are God'^sJ^'' Persons find no difficulty 
in rendering unto Caesar the things that are his, but who renders 
freely to God the tribute which is his due? Unto Him do we 
owe all, because He has given all. . Our mind owes Him the 
tribute of submission and obedience in matters of faith, and it 
should pay Him by believing, without question, those points which 
it cannot undei-stand. Our heart owes Him a tribute of love, He 
being our sovereign good, and it should pay Him by charity ; 
loving those things which are contrary to, and displeasing to its 
inclinations. Our natural faculties . owe Him a tribute of confi- 
dence, as to a most wise, most powerful, and most perfect Father. 
They should pay Him by hope, in doing by his grace that which 
they cannot effect by their own strength. Our senses owe Plim 
a tribute of suffering, as to a most equitable judge who is obliged 
to punish their irregularities. They should pay Him by suffermg 

♦Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTY-SECOND MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 5oV,* 

patiently those things which are most painful and difficult to en- 
dure, and by enduring, with submission to the divine will, what- 
ever is displeasing to nature. 

3d Point. Render to God the honor and obedience due Him. 
He declares that glory is his due. He accords unto us the merit 
of our good works, but reserves the glory thereof for himself 
x\]3stain from touching this forbidden fruit, for it will bring you 
death. Imitate the ancients of the Apocalypse, who '"''fell before 
the Lamh^ having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of 
odors, which are the jprayers of the saints!''' Offer Him the sweet 
and acceptable perfume of prayer. How do you pray % Your 
prayers are not like a perfume whose odor is agreeable to God, 
and which attracts his graces to your soul ; but resembles more an 
exhalation which ascends on high, producing clouds and lightning 
of wrath. Sino; with the an^fels this beautiful canticle of love : 
" The Lamb that was slain is luorthy to receive power ^ and. divinity^ 
and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediciiony 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel 
against the Lord." Proverbs, xxi. 

" 1 will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of 
the prudent I will reject." 1 Corinthians, i. 

" But if I say the truth, you believe me not." St, John, viii. 

" Render, therefore, to all their dues : tribute to whom tribute 
is due: custom to whom custom: fear to whom fear: honor to 
whom honor." Roynans, xiii. 

"Stripping yourself of the old man with his deeds, and putting 
on the new, him who is renew^ed unto knowledge, according to the 
image of Him who created him." Colossians, iii. 

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice: 
If any man shall adore the beast, and his image, and receive his 
mark on his forehead, or in his hand : He shall also drink of the 
wine of the wrath of God." Apocalypse^ x\\\ 



570 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TWENTY-SECOND TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON TH1ESE WORDS : " WHOSE IMAGE AND INSCRIPTION IS THIS ?" 

0)1 the Imiiaiion of Jesus Christ 

1st Point. It is necessary for us to believe all that Jesus Clirist 
has said. It is necessary for us to follow his example in all that 
we do. He is the model on which we should form our lives ; 
his doctrine is the rule of our faith, and his example the rule of 
our conduct ; his words are infallible ; his actions impeccable. I 
am a heretic in spirit if I do not believe what He declares ; a 
heretic at heart if I do not imitate his life. 

2d Point. I shall become perfect if I imitate Jesus, who is the, 
rule of my perfection. I shall be very near to God if I am like 
unto Jesus, for He loves those who resemble his Son. I render 
obedience to God by imitating Jesus, for He commands us so to 
do. I shalHove God if 1 imitate Jesus, for I can do nothing that 
would be more agreeable to Him. I shall be saved if I imitate 
Jesus, because all the predestined are like Him, and walk in his 
footsteps even unto death. 

3d Point. Oh, what an honor to resemble a God, to live like a 
God, to suffer and die like a God ! Is this the example that you 
imitate? Is this the model by which your works are executed? 
When you converse, act, or suffer, do you say : Is it thus Jesus 
would speak? would He act thus? is it thus He would suffer ? 
My God, what an example ! My God, what a model ! 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Look, and make it according to the pattern that was shown 
thee on the mount." Exodus^ xxv. 

"He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself to walk even 
as He walked." 1 St. John^ ii. 

" For as I have given you an example, that as I have done, so 
you do also." St. John^ xiii. 

" But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans^ xiii. 



TWENTY-SECOND WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 571 



TWEXTY-SECOXD AVEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ox SIMPLICITY OR SINGLENESS OF HEART. 

IsT Point. Christian soul, do all things with an eye single to 
the glory of God. Aspire tu a true simplicity of heart and mind. 
To attain this end, make God the only object and thought of your 
soul, and a desire to do his .holy will the ruling principle of your 
mind. He is the source and perfection of all truth. He has had 
but one thought and one love from all eternity. Imitate Him, 
that you nuiy arrive at that unity to which charity tends. 

2d Point. Of what use are so many thoughts, and such a mul- 
tiplicity of argument? Are you not convinced of the truth of 
the maxims of the Gospel ? If you are convinced, why then con- 
tinue to seek for what you have already found ? Why do you not 
practise all that you know 1 Can you have a more beautiful sub- 
ject of prayer than God, who beholds you, who hears you, and 
who Ts in the depths of your soul ? Cast yourself into this 
ocean ; lose yourself in this abyss. You will find all in God. 
Out of Him you will fmd nothing. 

^'jMartha, MartJm, thou art careful, and art troubled about many 
things,"'^ Is it not wholly unprotitable to be thus troubled ] iVre 
so many cares necessary to a soul which desires only God? ''^But 
one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part.'' She lis- 
tens without speaking, rests without inquietude, and esteems her- 
self truly hiippy to be at the feet of Jesus, who instructs and 
consoles her. Withdraw vourself. Christian soul, from this em- 
barrassment and confusion of thought. Avoid multiplicity, and 
tend to unitv. But one thinop is necessarv, and that onlv can 
content and satisfv vou. 

V V 

3d Point. To have onlv one thoufjht it is necessarv to have 
but one desire. To divest one's self of all other thoughts, it is 
necessary to banish all desires, except that thought and that desire 
whose only aim is God. With<jut simplicity of heart you will 
never arrive at simplicity of mi id. You will be attracted by a 
thousand things, and lix your attention on none. You suffer your- 
self U) be controlled by your inclination, and yet complain of 
having distractions in prayer ? x\re your complaints reasonable ? 
Is there not double dealing in your heart ? Alas ! with what 

* St. Luke, X, 



572 ^ DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

avidity it pursues its treasure, and delights itself with what it 
loves ! If it does not find its pleasures in God, it is an unmis- 
takable sign that it does not love Him. 

You are not the master of your mind, it is true ; but are you 
not master of your heart? You cannot be without thoughts, but 
can you not be without desires'? You will be troubled but little 
by bad thoughts, if you have no bad desires.* 



TWENTY-SECOND THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST 

MEANS TO ARRIVE AT SIMPLICITY OF HEART AND MIND. 

1st Point. Retire within your own heart, close the door, and 
you will find therein all that you love and desire. No matter 

t! t,' 

what clamor human reason makes without, be careful not to give 
it admittance, l^ you cannot silence it, pay no further attention 
to it, and do not allow it to disturb you. Remain quiet in your 
place of rest. Envelope yourself in your poverty and humility. 
Having God in your heart, w^hy should you seek for aught else? 
He is there although you may not sensibly feel his presence. Is 
not faith more certain than reason ? It is better to love than to 
reason ; better to enjoy than to desire. You will enjoy your well- 
beloved only when you love Him without desiring any thing 
besides. 

2d Point. My soul, you will never find true happiness until 
you are willing to content yourself only with God, seek only 
his glory, and correspond only w^ith his desires. Then you shall 
be in prayer like a rock to its centre, a flame to its sphere, a 
stream to its ocean, and the needle to its pole. Oh, my God ! 
my peace, my rest, my joy ! what is it that I desire? what is it 
that I seek ? for what do I wait ? Alas ! I am in continual mo- 
tion, while I seek only repose. I am at war with my fears and 
desires, with my reason and passions, while I desire only peace. 
Between my spirit and flesh there arises a rebellion of the infe- 
rior part against the superior ; of my spirit against thy law ; and 
yet I dare complain, because 1 know not peace. Ah, what peace 
can that soul enjoy who obeys Thee not, and seeks some other 
good than Thee 2 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTY-SECOND FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 5/3 

3d Point. I am weary of labor, and henceforth desire to rest. 
So many arguments weary me ; all my desires (jisqniet me. So 
much knowledge serves only to perplex and distract me. Casting 
out all fear, 1 desire only to begin to love Thee. Go, my soul, 
enter into your place of rest, and taste in silence how sweet the 
Lord is. Abandon the multiplicity of thoughts and desires which 
oppress you, and content yourself with saying to God, who'dwell- 
eth in you according to his heart: My God, 1 offer Thee with joy, 
and in the simplicity of my heart, all that I desire or possess in 
the world. Accept the sacrifice 1 offer Thee of my mind and my 
heart, and rest sweetly in me, as I desire to rest eternally in Thee, 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The simplicity of the just shall guide them." Proverbs^ xi. 

" If thy eye be single, thy whole body will be lightsome." St, 
Matt. vi. 

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about 
many things. But one thing is necessary." St, Luke^ x. 

"Think of the Lord in goodness^ and seek Him in simplicity 
of heart." Wisdom^ i. 



TWENTY-SECOND FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE INCOMPREHENSIBILITY OF GOD, AND HOW WE SHOULD 

HONOR HIM. 

1st Point. Who is this God to whose image you are made? 
He is a King, who is incomprehensible at all times, in all places, 
to all minds, and to all hearts. All time shall never measure his 
duration. All places cannot contain his immensity. All minds 
can never comprehend his greatness. All hearts can never suffi- 
ciently love his goodness. 

2d Point. God is nothing of all that we see ; He is nothing of 
all that we feel ; He is nothing of all that we comprehend ; He 
is nothing of all that we imagine. He is all, and He is nothing. 
All, because He is in all beings ; nothing, because all beings are 
in Him, in a manner different from that in which they are in 
themselves. God is an invisible being, inaccessible, immutable, 
and incomprehensible. Invisible, yet seeing all ; inaccessible, yet 
embracing all ; immutable, yet changing all ; incomprehensible, 
yet comprehending all. 



574 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

oD. Point. I honor the power of God by the sacrifice of my 
o^yn strength ; L honor the greatness of God bv the sacrifice of 
inv own i^lorv ; I honor the goodness of God by the sacrifice of 
my own desires ; I honor the incomprehensibility of God by the 
sacrifice of my own thoughts and understanding. 

Oh, :ny God, and my all ! I am rk-h, indeed, when I have only 
Thee ; I am truly learned when I know only Thee ; I am perfectly 
contented when I taste only Thee. I see all, Avhen 1 see nothing ; 
r taste all, when I taste nothing; I possess all, when I possess 
nothing. 

Divest vonr memory of its imas^e, and God will fill it with his 
being ; divest your heart of its cares and afilictions, and God will 
fill it with his consolations; divest your mind of the inspirations 
of human reason, and God will fill it with the divine inspirations 
of his grace. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

"To whom have you likened me, and made me equal, and 
compared me, and made me like?" ^saias, xlvi. 

" My soul refused to be comforted : 1 remembered God and 
was delighted." Psalm Ixxvi. 

"All my bones shall say : Lord, who is like to Thee?" Psalm 
xxxiv. 



TWENTY-SECOND SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

llciiitatioit. 

ON CONFORMITY WITH GOD, OF WHOM WE ARE THE IMAGE. 

1st Point. Make yourselves like unto God by seeking that 
wisdom which proceedeth from Him alone, and which "i5 chaste, 
peaceable, modest, consenting to good., full of mercy and good 
works, without judging and ivithout dissimulation.'''^ An exte- 
rior always composed and modest is the mark of a soul which 
has arrived at the height of perfection, and is victorious over its 
passions. God is the centre and source of all peace; his presence 
calms and tranquilizes the soul that He animates, while He im- 
prints a divine modesty upon it, the sign, as it were, of his com- 
placency. He takes great delight in modesty and chastity. He 
loves to take up his abode with those who practise those heavenly 
virtues, and regards them as his house of refuge, the temple of 

* St. James, iii. 



TWENTY-SECOND SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 575 

his Spirit, and the sanctuary of his grace, since therein all is peace 
and order. The lustre of a holy and modest soul is reflected on 
its exterior. It is by the outward man that we judge of the in- 
ner one. 

2d Point. A constrained and affected modesty cannot be sup- 
ported for any length of time, the veil of hypocrisy being so 
transparent as to betray the vices which it seeks to hide. When 
a soul is tranquil and at peace, according* to the wisdom of God, 
its exterior is modest at all times. When a clock is irregular we 
judge it to be out of order. 1L body ever agitated by i-estless- 
ness, and obedient to every impulse, is the sign of a soid which 
abandons itself to its fears and desires, which is staggered by 
temptation, and unable to resist pain. A soul which is conf(^rmed 
to God is without agitation or motion, it reposes in Him as in its 
centre, and finds therein a fullness of peace which passeth all hu- 
man understanding. 

Oh, my God, my Creator ! thy spirit is sweet, and mine is vio- 
lent; thy spirit is wise, and mine is hasty ; thy spirit is tranquil, 
and mine is restless ; thy spirit is grave, and mine is frivolous and 
vain. Possess me, oh Lord, body and soul, that I may honor 
Thee in ail things, and be fully conformed to thy image. 

3d Point. Keep watch over your body, dear Christian and 
God will guard your soul. Compose yourself exteriorly, and lie 
will compose you interiorly. Keep the outside in order, and He 
will protect that which is within. Watch over your senses, and 
He w^ill w^atch over your heart. Do all that depends on yourself, 
and be assured that He will accomplish those things in you which 
depend on Him. If you are evil, at least forbear to be scandal 
ous. Conceal the vices of your soul, lest you add to your crimi- 
nality by leading others astray, and in humble penitence seek 
peace with God. 

Woe unto you hypocrites w^ho desire to appear before men what 
ye are not ! Woe unto you wdio give scandal by appearing, 
without shame, what you are ! To avoid hypocrisy be in truth 
what you appear ; honor God by the modesty of your body and 
soul ; and since He cannot remain where there is confusion and 
disorder, hold both always in order by modesty and peace. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" A man is known by his look : and a wise man when thou 
nieetest him, is known by his countenance." Ecclesiasticns^ xix. 
" Let your modesty be known to all men." PhiUppians^ iv. 
" But the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility of a 



576 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

quiet and meek spirit which is rich in the sight of God." St. 
1 Peter^ iii. 

" Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the meekness and mod- 
esty of Christ." 2 Corinthians, x. 

" Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, 
the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, and patience," 
Colossians, iii. 



TWENTY-TinRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Matt, ix. 18-26. 

" At that time, as Jesus w^as speaking to the multitude : Be- 
hold, a certain ruler came, and adored Him, saying : Lord, my 
daughter is just now dead : but come, lay thy hand upon her, and 
she shall live. And Jesus rising up, followed him with his disci- 
ples. And behold, a w^oman, who w^as troubled with an issue of 
blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his 
garment. For she said, within herself: If I shall but touch his 
garment, I shall be healed. But Jesus turning about, and' seeing 
her, said : Take courage, daughter : thy faith hath made thee 
whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And 
when Jesus came into the house of the ruler, and saw the min- 
strels and the crowd making a rout, he said : Give place : for the 
girl is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed at Him. And 
when the crowd was turned out. He went in, and took her by the 
hand : and the girl arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into 
all that country." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. A ruler of the synagogue having lost his daughter 
sought Jesus Christ, for the purpose of imploring Him to come 
and restore her to life. Afflictions aie designed to direct our 
thoughts to God, and make us have recourse to Him. It is for 
this end that He visits you with so many afflictions. Notwith- 
standing this merciful design, you have not had recourse to prayer. 
You do not go out to seek Jesus Christ, nor do you invite Him 
into your house. This is the reason, perhaps, why you are not 
delivered from tribulation. 

2d Point. The daughter of this ruler, was only twelve years 
of age. Death, 3^ou see, spares no one. It lays low the young 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 577 

as well as the old. If you are aged, take care, death is at your 
door, he knocks by infirmities, and will soon enter. If you are 
young, death is in all your paths, and sets a snare for you whith- 
ersoever you turn. Whether old, middle aged, or young, be pre- 
pared, and distrust an enenriy who lies in wait for you at all times 
and in all places. 

God takes little children out of the world for innumerable rea- 
sons, among others, to punish the parents who have made idols of 
them, and to save the childrem who would otherwise perish eter- 
nally. He who afflicts himsefi with excessive grief for the death 
of parents or friends, shows that he is not firm in the law, and 
that he doubts somewhat the doctrine of the resurrection of the 
dead. He believes not in Providence, or at the best, considers 
the chastisement unmerited and unjust. But if this want of faith 
is exhibited by one who indulges in excessive grief for parents, 
or those who are very near to them, what are we to think of those 
who abandon themselves to sadness, grief, and despair, for losses 
of less consequence ? 

3d Point. The father invited our Lord to come to his house, 
and although he was wanting in faith, since he did not believe that 
He could raise his dead child to life without going to her, Jesus, 
gained by his prayers and tears of humility, arose from the place 
where He was, discontinued his discourse, and accompanied him. 
Oh, He will also come willingly with you to-day, if you invite 
Him with fervor and humility, saying: Lord, behold, my soul 
is dead, at least, it is sick unto death ; come soon, I implore Thee, 
place thy hand on it, and restore it to health and life. 

4th Point. On the way, behold a woman who had been trou- 
bled with an issue of blood twelve years, who had expended all 
she had in purchasing remedies during that time, which had af- 
forded no relief, met Him, and casting herself, all feeble as she 
was, to the earth, touched the hem of his garment, and was cured. 
Admire the faith of this afflicted woman. Consider her fervor, 
which led her to press through the crowd to approach Him. Be- 
hold her humility, which inspired her to kneel behind our Lord, 
not daring to speak, or present herself before Him, but only to 
touch the hem of his garment. Mark how her profound reverence 
for the Son of God made her tremble when He turned towards 
her, and asked who it was who had touched Him ; and her sin- 
cerity in acknowledging what she had done, although she feared 
that He would punish her for her temerity. 

Oh, my soul, approach Jesus, and do not be afraid to touch his 
sacred wounds ; make known your maladies to Him, with an as- 
25 



678 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

sured fliith that He ^Yill cure voii, provided you touch Ilim with 
fliith and confidence. The virtue that imbued his vestments 
issued from his sacred hod}', which you are going to receive. If 
those wdio touch only the hem of his garment are healed of incur- 
a])le .diseases, what malady cannot be cured by his ado;*able flesh 
which you are about receiving into your heart ! Oh, living and 
life-s^ivinsr flesh of Jesus ! heal the infirmities of mine. Oh, most 
holy and most pure of all hearts ! imprint thine on mine, and ren- 
der it pure and holy. Alas, why is it, that having so often 
touched Thee, I continue sick ? It is because I fail to touch Thee 
with faith.* 



TWENTY-THIRD MONDAY AFTER TENTECOST. 



ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. It is never more necessary to hope than when all 
seems lost. Whea all human means fail, we have no refuge but 
God, and are compelled to fly to Him for succor. He often per- 
mits us to sutler with protracted and loathsome diseases for our 
own profit, to convince us. that He alone is the Master of life and 
death, and to oblige us, like the afllicted won^an in the Gospel, to 
address ourselves to him. Examine your aflairs. Why is it that 
nothing rouses you ? Is it not because you depend too much on 
your ow^n strength, tact, and prudence ? Why is it that, notwith- 
standing all your remedies, you are not cured ? It is, perhaps, 
because you have more faith in your physicians than in God, and 
regard them as the arbiters of life and death, as if you supposed 
He had abandoned the government of his creatures, and could 
not cure you, or that they could do so without his gracious assist- 
ance ! 

2d Point. Jesus, having entered the house of the ruler, dispersed 
the crowd which, as usual on such occasions, had collected there 
for purposes of lamentation and condolence. " Give placr,'^'^ He 
said, ''ike girl is not dead^ hut sleepethy He called her death a 
sleep, because it was his design to raise her. Why are you 
afraid of death ? Do you fear rest after labor ? Do you not 
know that you will one day rise from the dead 1 Oh, when a 
Christian has lived for God he dies sweetly ! He regards death as 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the follovhig Meditation, 



TWENTY-THIRD TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 57i^ 

a sleep which will deliver him from his cares and give him rest 
from his labors. 

3d Point. Jesus, with three of his disciples, entered the room 
where the maid was lying. He took her by the hand, and she 
arose, walked and eat. A soul risen by grace ought also to rise 
and walk. Action is a sign of life ; inaction of death. If you are 
truly risen in Christ, you will practise good works, and have an. 
insatiable hunger and thirst after righteousness. You are God's 
creature, vou confess, and yet you do nothino; for God ! You are 
risen, and you wish^not to eat ! You pass entire months without 
communion ! Alas ! I fear that you are dead, or near unto death. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" ^fan born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with 
many miseries. Who cometh forth like a flower, and is de- 
stroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same 
state." Joh^ xiv. 

" Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof [the holocaust) shall 
be sanctified." Leviticus, vL 

" And they besought Him that they might touch but the hem 
of his crarment. And as many as touched were made whole." 
Matthew, '^iW, 

" Put not your trust in princes, in the children of men, in whom 
there is no salvation." Fsalm cxlv. 

" Go, my people, enter into thy chambers ; shut thy doors up- 
on thee ; hide thyself a little for a moment, until the indignation 
passes away." Isaias, xxvi. 

" Pise thou that sle^pest, and arise from the dead : and Christ 
shall enlighten thee." Ephesians, v. 

" And we will not have you io^norant, brethren, concernincT them 
that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful-, even as others who 
have no hope." 1 Thessaloiiians^ iv. 



TWEXTY-THIPD TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE DEATH OF THE GOOD. 

1st Point. It is believed that the ruler's daughter experienced 
many pangs in dying, because she was in the first bloom of youth, 
and in the fresh enjoyment of existence, because she dreaded the 



580 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

separation from her father, who loved her tenderly, and felt un* 
speak ably appalled at entering into an unknown region of erf or 
and darkness, the gates of heaven not being yet opened. Oh, 
death is sweet to those to whom life has been bitter ! When 
one has found no pleasure in living, he finds it in dying ! Sepa- 
ration is agreeable to those who do not love each other. If you 
do not love ^your body, you will feel no repugnance at leaving it. 
What reason have you to love it ? What pleasure have you had 
on this earth ? When have you taken a step without encounter- 
ing a cross^or a mis-step, and finding yourself in continual 
danger of damnation ? 

2d Point. That which you inordinately loved during life will 
torment you at the hour of death ; and that which tormented you 
during life, will be your consolation at death. What can grieve 
a soul that is not attached to this world ? Love is stronger than 
death ; it separates the soul from the body and all sensible things ; 
it foresees its intentions and desires, and leaves it nothing to do. 
Oh, there is great joy in dying in the arms of Jesus, relying on 
his merits, consoled by the presence of his holy Mother, sur- 
rounded by angels, accompanied by the blessings of the poor, to 
whom you have shown mercy, and followed by your good works, 
which is the only treasure that we can take with us beyond the 
grave. 

3d Point. There is nothing better in this life than a beautiful 
gate of exit from it. Death is not repulsive to him who has lived 
well ; it is rather the object of his vows and desires ; he regards 
it as the end of his conflicts, as the crown of his glory, as the en- 
trance to the land of the living, and as a passage to eternal rest. 
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. Do not doubt 
for a moment that He will abandon in death those who have 
served Him faithfully^ in life. On the contrary, it is at this time 
that He holds them as' the apple of his eye ; He strengthens them 
with his grace, makes them rest on his bosom, assuages their 
grief, dissipates their fears, commands his angels to defend, con- 
sole, assure, and receive their soul, and bear it to heaven. Oh, 
the death of the righteous is precious in the sight of God I Oh, 
the sacrifice they ofier Him in life is honorable and agreeable to 
Him ! Oh, sweet and merciful Jesus ! can I hope to die a good 
death after having led so criminal a life ? Yes ; provided I re- 
cover by penance the loss that I have caused my innocence to 
sustain. Do penance ; do it now while you have time and op- 
portunity, for soon you will be deprived of both. Live the life 
of the righteous, that your death may be like theirs. 



IWENTY-THIRD WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 581 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord." A2:>ocalypse, xiv. 

" With him that feareth the Lord, it shall go well in the latter 
end, and in the day of his death he shall be blessed." Ecclesias- 
ticus^ i. 

" Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." 
Psalm exv. 

" But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and 
lift up your heads : because your redemption is at hand." St, 
Luke, xxi. 

" The Lord God shall wipe away tears from every face." 



Isaias^ xxv. 



TWENTY-THIRD WEDNESDAY AETER PENTECOST. 

ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 

1st Point. It was by her faith that the poor woman in the 
Gospel was cured. Without it she could have obtained nothing 
from God ; by it she obtained all that she desired. Are you as- 
tonished at this ? She honored God infinitely by her hope and 
confidence in Him. He who hopes in God recognizes a Supreme 
Being endowed with infinite perfections ; he allows himself to be 
governed by his wisdom, depends on his power, confides in his 
goodness,- pays homage to his greatness, and relies on his provi- 
dence. 

2d Point. Hope makes man God-like ; it lifts him from infir- 
mity to strength, from poverty to riches, from misery to happi- 
ness. God gives, if we may so express ourselves, his subsistence 
to him who strips himself of his own ; He gives his power to him 
who recognizes and feels his own weakness ; He imparts his treas- 
ures to him who knows and understands his own poverty. There 
is never greater need to hope, than when all seems clouded by 
despair ; never greater need to be less afraid, than when all things 
combine to make us fear ; and never greater need to abandon our- 
selves entirely to God, than when we are apparently abandoned. 

3d Point. Believing what we see is not a divine faith, but a 
human and natural one ; hoping for what we can obtain is not a 
theological virtue, which lifts itself above nature ; lovino- that 
which is sweet and agreeable is not a divine charity, but often the 



582 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

mockery of self-love. Faith that is divme believes that which it 
does not understand; hope that is supernatural hopes for that 
which it cannot see ; charity, to be pure, loves that which is dis- 
pleasing to it. Believing in darkness, hoping in infirmity, loving 
in disgust and pain, is the life of a true Christian, and raises one 
above nature, uniting him immediately to God."^ 



TWENTY-THIRD THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON OTHER MOTIVES FOR CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 

1st Point. The full freely seeks the empty; abundance will- 
ingly unites itself to poverty ; the strong are pleased with the 
"feeble ; the physician with his patient, and the nursing mother 
with her child. Depend not on your own strength, and God will 
sustain you; have no human subsistence, and God will give yoa 
one that is divine ; renounce your own light, and. the wisdom of 
God will govern you ; strip yourself of all self dependence, and 
the power of God will support you ; empty yourself of self-will, 
and God will fill you with his holiness, his graces, and treasures. 

2d Point. Oh, all-powerful God, what am I ? and who art 
Thou? Thou art self-existant, I am only sheer nothingness; 
Thou art only strength, and I am only weakness ; Thou art only 
truth, and I am only untruth ; Thou art only light, and I am only 
darkness ; Thou art only sanctity, and I am only malice. Oh my 
God, with Thee I am strong ; without Thee I am nothing. 

To know God, without knowing properly our own misery, 
makes us guilty of presumption ; to know our own misery, with- 
out knowing God, makes as despair. It constitutes the felicity 
of the saints to know the abyss of the mercy of God. Jesus is not 
only God, but He is a God-Mediator, and a God-Saviour. Jesus 
w^ould no longer be Jesus if deprived of the attribute of mercy. 
Jesus w^ould be no longer Saviour, if He was divested of his ten- 
derness for sinners. 

3d Point. Oh my God ! my hope ! I abandon myself entirely 
to Thee. I lean on Thee, I rest on Thee. Having chosen Thee 
for my guide, I cast every care on Thee, knowing that Thou wilt 
be true to me unto the end. 

• Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTY-THIRD FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 583 



WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with de- 
lights, leaning upon her beloved V' Cant viii. 

'^ But they that hope in the Lord, shall renew their strength ; 
they shall take wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; 
they shall walk, and not fliint," Isaias^ xL 

" And the Lord said to Gideon : The people that are with thee, 
are many : and Madian shall not be delivered iij^o their hands ; 
lest Israel should glory against me, and say : I was delivered by 
my own strength." Judges^ vii. 

" Charge the rich of this world not to be high-minded, nor to 
hope in uncertain riches, but in the living God (who giveth us 
abundantly all things to enjoy)." 1 Timothy^ vi. 



TWENTY-THIRD FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. • 

ON SOLITUDE. 

1st Point. Jesus commanded all who were in the apartment 
to leave it, in order to execute bis design of raising to life the 
ruler's daughter. It is a difficult matter to be at the same time 
with God and man. To enjoy the presence of our well-beloved, 
it is necessary to fly from the company of the world. The world 
makes too great a tumult around your heart ; it prevents your 
hearing the word of God, and stifles his holy Spirit. God manifests 
himself only in the desert ; it is there that He causes manna to fall 
from heaven ; there that He gives his law, and renders his pres- 
ence visible. It was in the desert that Jesus multiplied the loaves, 
and was transfigured before three of his disciples. It is in the 
solitude of the world, in the silence of the passions, and during 
the slumber of the senses, that the Spirit holds converse with the 
heart of his spouse. 

2d Point. There are three sorts of solitude : that of the body, 
that of the mind, and that of the heart. You are solitary in body, 
when you have no other companion than God ; solitary in mind, 
when you think only of God; solitary in heart, when you love 
only God. He visits you when you are solitary in body ; speaks 
to you when you are solitary in mind ; and fills you with himself 
when you are solitary in heart. Solitude of the body is nothing 
without that of the mind ; solitude of the mind is impossible 



584 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

without that of the heart. The first is good, the second better, 
the third the most perfect. It is the latter towards which the two 
first tend. How can your mind dwell in the desert if it holds 
converse with the world ] How can you avoid thinking only of 
the pleasures of the world if your heart is attached thereto ? 
Where the treasure is, there will the heart be. You can never 
become solitary in heart unless you renounce the love of all 
creatures.* 



TWENTY-THIRD SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

THE ROAD TO SOLITUDE. 

1st Point. Put all creatures far away from you if you desire 
God to visit you. Make all creatures keep silence if you wish 
■Ood to speak to you. Detach yourself from all creatures if you 
wish God to love you. Oh solitude of the body ! oh solitude of 
the mind ! oh solitude of the heart ! it is in these that you see, 
hear, and taste God. 

2d Point. In which of these solitudes are you ? In that of the 
body ? Are you separated from all unprofitable companions ? 
Do you fly all vain company, and the conversation of the world ? 
Ah ! why is it, then, that you are always talking, and can never 
live a single day in silence and rest, while a week's retreat is 
looked upon as an insupportable sacriiice? Are you in solitude 
of mind ] Oh what a tumult of thought ! Why all this noise 
and confusion in your imagination ? Are you in solitude of heart ? 
Ah ! alas, the poor heart remains not in itself; it is forever vacil- 
lating from one side to the other ; it flies over the earth and finds 
no habitation less inconvenient than its own. Oh what a multi- 
tude of desires torment and tear it. 

3d Point. Go from hence, ye turbulent aflections ; go from 
hence, ye restless and. hasty desires ; go from hence, ye importu- 
nate thoughts, and let Jesus enter. He does not love tumult, 
but delights in solitude and silence. We will go, my well-beloved ; 
we will abandon the noise and din of the world, and all the en- 
joyments that it offers us, and go into the desert. We will fly to 
holy solitude, because it is there Thou wilt speak to my heart. 
Oh Lord God, there are but few hearts which listen to thy voice ; 
there are but few men, oh Jesus, who converse familiarly with 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the foriowmg Meditation. 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 585 

Thee. Why is this ? Because there are but few who love Thee 
and take pleasure in thy company. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Behold, I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness ; 
and I will speak to her heart." Osee, ii. 

'• The Lord is not in the wind The Lord is not in the 

earthquake." 3 Kings^ xix. 

"And the woman fled into the wilderness." Apocalypse^ xii. 

" Lo, I have gone far off flying away ; and I abode in the wil 
derness." Psahn liv. 

" When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having 
shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret : and thy Father, who 
seeth in secret, will reward thee." St. Matt. vi. 

" I will rise, and go about the city : in the streets and in the 
broad ways I will seek Him whom my soul loveth : I sought Him 
and found Him not." Cant. iii. 



TWENTY-FOURTH, OR LAST SUNDAY AFTER PEN- 

TECOST. 

The Gospel. St. Matthew, xxiv. 15-35. 

" At that time, Jesus said to his disciples : When you shall see 
the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the 
prophet, standing in the holy place : he that readeth, let him un- 
derstand. Then they that are in Judea, let them fly to the moun- 
tains : and he that is on the housetop let him not come down to 
take any thing out of his house : and he that is in the field, let 
him not go back to take his coat. And woe to them that are with 
child, and give suck in those days. But pray that your flight be 
not in the winter, or on the Sabbath. For there shall be then 
great tribulation, such asJaath not been from the beginning of the 
world until now, neither shall be. And unless those days had 
been shortened, no flesh could be saved : but for the sake of the 
elect, those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say 
to you : Lo, here is Christ, or there, do not believe him. For 
there shall arise false christs, and false prophets ; and shall show 
great signs and wonders, insoniuch as to deceive (if possible) even 
the elect. Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. If, therefore, 
they shall say to you : Behold, he is in the desert ; go ye not out : 
Behold, he is in the closets ; believe it not. For as the lightning 
eometh out of the east, and appear eth again even unto the west : 
25* 



586 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

SO shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Wheresoever 
the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. 
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall 
be darkened ; and the moon shall not give her light ; and the stars 
shall fall from heaven ; and the powers of heaven shall be moved : 
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven : and 
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn : and they shall see the 
Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and 
majesty. And He shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a 
great voice ; and they shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens, to the utmost bounds 
of them. And from the fig-tree learn a parable : when the branch 
thereof is now tender, and -the leaves come forth, you know that 
summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see all these things, 
know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors. Amen, I say to you, 
that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 
Heaven and earth shall pass away ; but my word shall not pass 
away." 

ON THE GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Christian soul ! you are going to receive your Judge. 
Now He comes to you, sweet, humble, and patient. He will come 
on the last day terrible, severe, and formidable. Measure his jus- 
tice by his mercy. As He bears with us now with extreme 
f atience and sweetness ; He will then treat us with inconceivable 
rigor. He is ready and willing to pardon us all now ; then. He 
will pardon us nothing. He will take vengeance on us for the 
outrages which we have offered Him, and demand a strict account 
of the graces that we have received. There is nothing which 
ought to make me more afraid of the justice of God than the mercy* 
He has shown me ; the numberless blessings He has bestowed on 
me, and the graces that I have abused. The magnitude of his 
gifts, which I have wasted and neglected, make me worthy of the 
severest chastisements of his justice. Oh justice, and goodness 
of God ! I fear, even while I adore, thy divine attributes. 

Jesus, whom you are going to receive, is your God, your Re- 
deemer, your King, your Chief, your Advocate, your Judge, your 
Father, your Physician, your Master, and your Spouse. He is 
your God who has created you ; your Redeemer who has purchased 
you ; your King who governs you ; your Chief who defends you ; 
your Advocate who pleads for you in this world ; your Judge 
who will examine you in the other ; your Father who nourishes 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 587 

you ; your Physician who cures you ; your Master who teaches 
you ; your Spouse who loves you, who seeks you, who gives him- 
self entirely to you, and desires you to give yourself unreservedly 
to Him. Ascertain which of these titles appeals most touchhigly 
to your soul, and maive it the subject of your devotion. 

2d Point. Jesus discoursed with his disciples of the end of the 
world, to detach them from the possessions and pleasures of this 
life ; to inspire them with a contempt for them ; to excite them 
to good works ; encourage them to endure much labor ; to keep 
them fearful and vigilant, and impress them with a great horror 
for sin. There is nothing which inspires the heart with a greater 
contempt for the pleasures of this world than the shortness of 
their duration. How long will you continue to enjoy these false 
delights, and vain amusements, which make you offend God ? 
Alas! they pass away like a dream, while the chastisements pre- 
pared for those who seek their only delight in them, shall never 
end. Oh, children of men ! why will ye love vanity, and run after 
lying and deceitful pleasures '? 

3d Point. When you shall see the abomination of desolation 
standing in the holy place, you will then understand that the end 
of all things is at hand. Your heart is the temple of God ; conse- 
crated by baptism and sanctified by the presence of the body and 
blood of Jesus. Is there not some abominable idol in this heart ? 
Is not this temple profaned by some criminal affection? Do you 
not serve it with an idolatrous zeal, which excites the jealousy of 
God ? Alas ! I see therein idols without number to which you 
sacrifice your thoughts and desires. I see in this temple of the 
divinity the idol of human greatness, the idol of pleasure, the idol 
of interest, and the idol of anger and revenge. Desolation is in- 
separable from abomination. One is the tree, the -other is the 
fruit thereof; one the cause, the other the effect; one the source, 
the other the stream. Because your heart is filled with abomina- 
tion, it will fall into unhappiness and extreme desolation. 

When you die, the world will be at an end with you. Your 
death is perhaps near at hand, and consequently your judgment. 
What will you wish to have done when you appear before your 
Judge ? Have you put your affairs in order ? Are your accounts 
ready 1 How many sins have you committed ? Have you done 
penance for them ? Where are your good works, your charity, 
your alms-deeds ? These are all that you can carry with you be- 
yond the grave. All that will console and defend you at the 
tribunal of justice.* 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



588 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TWENTY-FOURTH MONDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE SAME GOSPEL. 

1st Point. Besides the particular judgment to which it is ne- 
cessary to submit at the moment of our death, there will be an- 
other, and universal one at the end of the world. In order that 
the sentence which has been executed in secret shall be made 
known to angels and to men ; in order that the justice of God and 
the wisdom of his Providence may be recognized by the good 
and bad ; in order that the body which has participated in the 
good and evil of the soul shall also have part in it<s recompense, 
and in its chastisements ; in order that the righteous who have 
been despised before men shall be honored before them, and that 
the impious who have been honored shall be filled with confu- 
sion ; in order that the Jews, tyrants, and persecutors of Jesus 
Christ, shall behold Him on the throne of his glory, and be con 
demned by Him whom they have treated so unworthily. Will 
you not be of this number ? 

2d Point. The judgment shall be preceded by terrible signs, 
as the words of Jesus Christ inform us. *' The sini shall he darl- 
enecl^ and the moon shall not give her light^ and the stars shall fall 
from heaven^ and the powers of heaven shall be moved^ The 
earth shall be agitated with fearful tremblings, the sea lift itself 
to the clouds, and amaze and terrify the living by reason of the 
confusion of its roaring ; the air shall be filled with fire, with 
lightning, thunder, and meteors, and other terrible signs which 
will cause n\en to wither away for fear ^ and expectation of what 
shall follow. The sign of the cross shall appear in the heavens 
for the consolation of the good, and to the terror and confusion 
of the wicked. And He shall send his angels with a triwipet^ 
which will sound with a great noise^ to the uttermost parts of the 
earth. And at the sound thereof the dead shall rise from their 
graves^ and Jesus will come in the clouds of heaven with much 
power and majesty. 

All this shall be accomplished, when time is to be no more, and 
also at the termination of your life. At the hour of death your 
mind will become obscured, and your imagination be terrified 
by horrible phantoms. All your senses will fall into doubt ; the 
dust of your body shall be shaken to its depths ; the cold sweats 
of dissolution, like a deluge of water, shall flow over you ; the 



TWENTY- FOURTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 589 

t 

fire of fever consume you ; the angel of God shall sound his 
trumpet, and say to you : Arise ye dead^ and come to judgment. 
Come, and render a strict account of your whole life. Oh, w^hat 
an account! oh, wdiat a judgment! oh death! oh life! oh inevita- 
ble sentence ! oh eternity ! Who will not fear ? Who so mad as 
not to endeavor to escape the w^rath to come ] 

3d Point. Prepare for death which approaches, and for the 
judgment which will follow. 

Prav vour Judo^e, whom vou are now goinoj to receive, to be 
favorable to you in your last moments ; ask of Him pardon for 
your sins ; make a firm resolution to serve Him better from 
henceforth ; feed Him in the persons of the poor ; visit Him in 
prison ; assist Him in hospitals ; do Him good in the person of 
your neighbor, that He may, at the last day, instead of condemn- 
ing you, thank and commend you. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, so shall He 
come as you have seen Him going into heaven." Acts^ i. 

'' Then shall all the trees of the w^oods rejoice, before the face 
of the Lord, because He cometh ; because He cometh to judge 
the earth." Psalm xcv. 

'• Therefore, judge not before the time." 1 Corinthians^ iv. 

" For perverse thoughts separate from God ; and his power, 
wdien it is tried, reproveth the unw^ise." Wisdom, i. 

" But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief" 2 Petei\ iii. 

"Seeing, then, that all these things are to be dissolved, w^hat 
manner of people ought you to be in holy conversation, and god- 
liness V Ibid. 

'' He hath prepared his throne in judgment : and He shall 
judge the world in equity. He shall judge the people in justice." 
PsaliJh ix. 



TW^ENTY-FOURTH TUESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THE AFFAIR OF OUR SALVATION. 

1st Point. Your salvation is your own affair ; your salvation is 
your only affair ; your salvation is a great and important affair. 
Since, then, it is your own affair, ycu ought to work for it; since 



500 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

i 

it is your only affair, you ought to work only for it ; since it is so 
great an affair, you ou^ht to work for it with all your strenn^th, 
and all the application of your mind. 

2d Point. God has thouixht from all eternity of this affair; the 
Son of God came into the world for this affair ; all the time that 
He was on earth He labored only for this affair ; He died on the 
cross to consummate this affair ; our good angels occupy them- 
selves day and night with this affair ; all the universe acts and 
moves to accomplish this affair. 

3d Point. All your happiness depends on this affair; all time 
and eternity turn on this affair ; all the spirits of evil work only 
to ruin this affair ; you cannot, without care and application, suc- 
ceed in this atfair ; if death surprises you, you can no longer work 
for this atfair; you are, then, without reason or judgment if you 
devote your thoughts to any thing except this affair. 

And, notwithstanding all this, you think not of it; you neglect 
it, as though it were a matter of no importance ; you think of 
every thing in preference to this ; you exert yourself for the attain- 
ment of perishable treasures, neglecting this which is eternal. The 
affiirs of time alone appear great and important to you, while 
you regard those of eternity as nothing. Oh, how your senti- 
ments will change at the hour of your death ! You will then 
ardently wish for time to repair your fault, but the angel of the 
Lord will have sworn, by Him who liveth in heaven, that time for 
you shall be no more. Do good, then, while you have time, for 
it will soon pass, with all its opportunities, forever away. Think 
only of this affair. Abandon the trifling and transitory pursuits 
of this life, to work out the great affiiir of your salvation. 

WORDS OF scripture. 

" But one thing is necessary." Luke^ x. 

" For what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and 
lose his own souH" St, Matt. xvi. 

" Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul 1" Ibid. 

"Attend to thyself" 1 Timothy, iv. 

" Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God." Ecclesiasticus^ 

XXX, 



TWENTY-FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 591 



TWENTY-FOURTH WEDNESDAY AFTER 
PENTECOST. 



ON THE GRACES WHICH WE HAVE ABUSED AND NEGLECTED, AND 
OF WHICH WE SHALL HAVE TO RENDER A STRICT ACCOUNT AT 
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 

1st Point. The consciousness of having abused and neglected 
the grace of God, will render judgment still more terrible to our 
soul. There is nothing more useful, nothing more necessary, and 
nothing more precious than gra^e. Without grace we cannot have 
a good thought, or conceive a good desire. With grace yoa can 
work out your salvation, and lay up eternal treasures in heaven. 
All that this earth contains is not worth the smallest degree of 
grace ; and, notwithstanding all this, you slight it, and stifle it in 
your heart. 

2d Point. Grace is a gift of God, anid one of the greatest that 
tfle can bestow on us in this life. It is a divine seed, whose frui- 
tion is glory. Jesus Christ spent his life in -labors, and died in 
cruel torments on the cross, that we might merit it. Graces are 
the talents which He distributes to men, that they may profit by 
them. What an insult to God to despise his gifts ! What an 
outrage to Jesus Christ to trample his blood under foot ! What 
a crime to stifle the growth of this divine seed ! What injustice 
and faithlessness to bury the talents of God, and not profit by 
them, as He designed we should ! 

3d Point. He who profits by his talents receives more, and is 
liberally recompensed. He who buries his talents is deprived of 
them, and condemned to the fires of hell. Salvation often depends 
on the good or bad use one shall have made of grace. He who 
despises the gifts he has received does not merit any more. The 
mercies of God are infinite, but their eflfects are limited. For in- 
stance, there is the grace of penance and prayer, which He offers 
even to the dying sinner ! But what impression will it make on 
the hardened heart? How can we suppose that one who has 
despised grace all his life will profit by it in his last moments ? 

Come, render an account to God of all the blessings which He 
has bestowed on you ! What have you profited by his graces ? 
Can you aver that there has been any thing wanting for your sal- 
vation? Can any one. have had a more assured belief, more in- 
spirations, more light, more secret advice, more interior touches, 



592 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

more remorse of conscience, more movements of the heart, more 
instructions, more corrections, more threats, and more chastise- 
ments than yourself? What has it all profited you? Where 
have you buried these talents? What fruit have you derived 
from the pious books that you have read ? from the numerous ser- 
mons that you have heard ? from the many meditations that you 
have made? from your reception of the sacraments? from so many 
absolutions that have been granted to you ? and from so many 
other blessings, natural and supernatural, which God has lavished 
freely, and without price on you ? " Woe to thee^ Corozain ; woe 
to thee. Bethsaida : for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the 
mighty works that have been lurought in you^ they would have done 
"penance long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tol- 
erable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.'''"^ Let 
these threats terrify you ; stand in great fear of this malediction ; 
do penance for the past ; arrange your affairs in order for the fu- 
ture ; profit by the grace which even now visits you, for it may 
be the last you shall ever receive, as death may surprise you ; ,or 
you may be so enfeebled by the sinking of nature when it touches 
your heart again, as, morally speaking, to be unable to co-operate/ 
with it. . . 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Woe to thee that spoilest ; shalt not thyself also be spoiled ? 
and thou that despisest, shalt not thyself also be despised ?" 
Isaias^ xxxiii. 

" I called and you refused ; I stretched out my hand, and there 
w^as none that regarded. You have despised all my counsel, and 
have neglected my reprehensions. I also will laugh in your 
destruction ; and will mock when that shall come to you which 
you feared." Proverbs.^ i. 

" I go my way, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your 
sin." aS'^. John, viii. 

" Extinguish not the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians, v. 

" He will bring those evil men to an evil end : and will let out 
his vineyard to other husbandmen, that shall render Him the fruit 
in due season." St. Matthew, xxi. 

"Take the pound away from him, and give it to him that hath 
the ten pounds." St. Luke, xix. 

*St. Luke, X. 13. 



TTVENTY- FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 593 



TWENTY-FOURTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Pebitatimt. 

ON RELIGIOUS DISCIPLINE, AND THE CARE THAT OUGHT TO BE OB- 
SERVED BY A RELIGIOUS IN KEEPING HIS RULES.'^ 

1st Point. At the last day, man shall be judged by the law of 
nature ; the Christian by the law of grace ; the religious by the 
law of his order. He who obeys the law of nature is a perfect 
man ; he who obeys the law of grace is a perfect Christian ; and 
he who obeys the law of his order is a perfect religious. 

If religion is an edifice, rules are the foundation thereof; if re- 
ligion is a body, rules are its nerves and veins ; if religion is a 
fortress, rules are its walls ; if religion is a sacred place, rules are 
its enclosure. 

2d Point. If you are not faithful to your rules, you are not a 
religious ; if you keep them only in part, you are only a religious 
in part, or, rather, you are not one at all. Is it possible to be a 
Christian if you believe only a portion of the truths of faith, and 
keep only a part of the commandments ? The same may be ap- 
plied to a religious who does not keep all the rules of his order. 

3d Point. The blood runs through the veins to every part of 
the body, and grace runs, through the obedience one renders to his 
rales, into every part of the soul. In the same degree that you 
violate your rule do you lose grace. One cannot separate a vein, 
however small, without placing himself in danger of death ; one 
cannot break a little rule- without putting himself in danger of 
fallinor into considerable faults. 

4th Point. The obligations of a religious life tend to perfec- 
tion, and rules are the means of attaining it. Can he ever hope 
to arrive at the end, who neglects the means provided to take 
him thither ? There is no rule, however unimportant it may ap- 
pear, which may not be a means ordered by God for our perfec- 
tion and salvation ; no point which may not be a channel of his 
graces ; which may not bear the mark of his authority ; which 
may not be a declaration of his power ; which has not the seal of 
this goodness and the character of his sanctity. 



1st Point. If you are out of the regular order of your voca- 
tion, and are not exact in obeving vour rules, vour virtues are de- 

* He who is not a religious can apply these considerations to the rules of his pro- 
fe>'sion or state, or make use of one of the preceding meditations. — Crasset. 



594 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

lusions, your devotions irregularities, and in place of approaching 
perfection, you wander far away from it. Whatever good you 
do while you live in defiance to your rules, is not a virtue but a 
vice. All your irregular penances will draw on you chastisenaents 
instead of recompense. 

2d Point. What is this spirit of singularity ? It is agoing as- 
tray from common sense, a weakness of reason, a mark of folly 
and pride, a characteristic of heresy, a mockery of religion, the 
ruin of communities, the spirit of Satan, the enemy of order, a 
schism, a heresy in matters of devotion, a presumption of heart, 
a public scandal, and a species of apostasy. 

3d Point. He who is not in order is reproved and chastised by 
the Prince of order. He who separates himself from the com- 
munity loses the graces of the community ; he who distinguishes 
himself from his brethren, by an irregular life, combats alone, and 
can claim no protection from them ; he has no longer part in the 
merits of the state to which he was called ; he is a member sepa- 
rated from the body from which it derived its spirit and life, and 
being separated, is dead. Since religious are bound together by 
common rules, he who refuses to keep them ought to be ranked 
among the dead ; and in a manner excommunicated, since he no 
longer participates in the merits of his order. 



1st Point. All is great in the service of God ; his will elevates 
all that He has ordered ; it is He who has established these rules 
and given these laws ; it is God who has marked out for you this 
road, by which you may arrive at perfection. If, then. He com- 
mands you to perform some small duty, dare you say that you 
are doing nothing, and that it is too trivial an affiiir for you to 
trouble yourself to be obedient in ? A good servant makes no 
distinction between the great and the less. All that his master 
orders him to do appears great in his eyes, because he sees on it 
the stamp of his seal and of his authority. 

2d Point. God conducts every thing to its end, and urges all 
creatures to their centre. The inanimate by the weight of his 
power ; the living by a secret instinct ; and the rational by the 
laws which He prescribes for them. Thus, when you go astray 
from your rules you stray from the guidance of God. Can you 
do this without danger of being lost ? If you keep order, order 
will preserve you ; if you disturb it, it will disturb you; if you 
destroy it, it will destroy you. 

3d Point. Oh Christian and religious soul, do not disturb and 



TWEJTTT-FOUBTH THURSDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 595 

scandalize your bretliren and sisters by your irregularities ; do 
not undermine the foundation of your order by your infraction of 
its rules; do not ruin the staif of your .piety, and lose the merits 
of your vocation, which merits are inseparable from your rules. 
AVhy will you tear the bowels of your ^lother ? why afflict the 
heart of the best of fathers ] His Spirit is contained in the 
rultrs He has provided fur your advancement in spiritual things. 
You oifcnd Him when you violate them ; you despise Hirn when 
you neglect them : you treat Him who is appointed to conduct 
you with insolence ; you virtually accuse Him of tyranny, be- 
cause you see fit, in the rebellion of your heart, to consider his 
commands as impossible and unreasonable. 



1st Point. Where are the states or communities that can exist 
for any length of time without law or order ? Laws preserve the 
state, and rules the community. In vkjlating the least one of 
them through contempt, although it may be to you apparently 
unimportant, is not, as we before Siiid, a little sin. You cannot 
violate it often, and voluntarily, without despising it. Consider 
if it be true that you wish to attain perfection, while you are so 
careless about rooting out an imperfection ] 

2d Point. Oh mv God. I am cruiltv. and I merit chastisement 
for having, up to the present time, lived in religion without obe- 
dience and discipline. I wear the habit of a religious, and am not 
animated by the spirit of religion ; I remain in this sacred place, 
with a mind and heart profaned by disorders and irregularities ; 
f am the scandal of my brethren ; I am a burden to my founder, 
despising his Spirit and \ioiating his rules. 

3d Point. Oh good Shepherd I hasten to overtake thy wander- 
ing sheep, ere it is devoured by the wolf which closely pursues 
it. (father it once more into the fold. Restore me to the order 
of thv grace, that I mav be faithful to mv vocation, in renderincr 
obedience to mv rules, bv which I shall once more merit thv crra- 
cious protection. Alas, I have so long transgressed against order. 
Oh, what account shall 1 be able to render fur the numberless 
graces that I have received and wasted, and for havinoj so otlen 
violated my rules ? All my faults are inexcusable, because I have 
known my duty and perversely omitted to do it. nor desired to 
peiiorm it ; because I have known that which Thou didst desire 
of me, and refused to obey. Oh my God, like the servant, who, 
knowing the will of his master, and did it not, I deserve to be 
beaten with many stripes, and treated without mercy for having 



596 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

run counter to thy designs for my perfection, and afflicted thy 
holy Spirit by my perverse disregard of thy inestimable graces. 
From this moment, oh my God, I renew my vows in all humility, 
and with an utter dependence on thy grace to assist me in faith- 
fully complying with all' the rules appertaining to my vocation or 
state of life. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" If you love me, keep my commandments." aS'^. John^ xiv. 

" He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that 
which is greater. And he that is unjust in that which is little, is 
unjust also in that which is greater." St, Lulce^ xvi. 

" He that contemneth small things, shall fall little by little." 
Ecclesiasticus^ xix. 

" But they provoked to wrath, and afflicted the Spirit of his 
holy One : and He w\as turned to be their enemy, and He fought 
against them." Isaias, Ixiii. 

'• Hated by all men as *a forsaker of the laws, and execrable as 
an enemy of his country and countrymen, he was thrust out into 
Egypt." 2 Machabees^ v. 

'' For thy judgments, O Lord, are great ; and thy words cannot 
be expressed ; therefore undisciplined souls have erred." Wis- 
dom^ xvii. 



TWENTY-FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

ON THESE words: " BUT PRAY THAT YOUR FLIGHT BE NOT IN THE 

WINTER." 

* On fervor of spirit, 

1st Point. The spirit of devotion relaxes, grows cold and 
weary, even in the greatest saints, if they use no means to pre- 
serve and increase fervor. 1. This inclination to tepidity arises 
from our nature, which, being come from nothingness, always 
tends to its origin ; it is like water, w^hich grows cold if it is not 
always kept on the fire. 2. It arises from the nature of grace, 
which is in our soul as in a strange soil, surrounded by thorns 
and noxious weeds which impede its growth ; exposed to winds 
and tempests, which root it wp, and combating with the cold and 
frost which will kill it if we do not take care. 3. It is caused by 
the inconstancy and frivolity of man, whose mind is as variable as 
the winds, whose soul is forever agitated and in motion like the 



TWENTY-FOURTH FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 597 

sea. and filled with impetuosity and instability. 4. It is the effect 
of the temptations of the devil, who is unwearied in tempting, but 
whom one grows weary of resisting. 5. It is the result of the 
passions, which shake the founffhtions of virtue ; of wicked habits, 
which it is necessary to cc#ibat unceasingly, and which we too 
soon grow weary of repressing. 6. If, then, one does not oppose 
all these evils with a steadfast violence, he will soon relax in all 
spiritual progress, lose fervor, and become weary. 

2d Point. Why is it necessary to serve God with fervor ? 
Because He loves us, and the love He bears us is infinite and 
eternal ; because He is infinitely amiable, and weighs us down 
with undeserved blessings ; because we are under the most im- 
portant obligations to love Him with a love which never says, 
"/^ is enough ;" because we never love Him in a manner worthy 
of his adorable perfections, or as much as we are capable of loving 
Him. It is, then, necessary to love Him more and more, and 
never to grow cold in his love. God will not tolerate a service 
which is rendered with unwillingness and vexation. He holds 
accursed all those who do his will with negligence ; He would 
rather they should abandon his service entirely than to serve Him 
so basely ; and prefers coldness to lukewarmness. These base 
and slothful servants burden his heart, and compel Him to vomit 
them forth. There is no stopping-place in the road of virtue ; no 
place of easy repose, where the soul can rest from her labors. 
Life is a restless stream, and our passions are the torrents, which 
will sweep us away with resistless force if we do not oppose them. 
In the road of virtue if we do not advance we retrograde, if we 
are not ascending we are descending, and if we are not growing 
better, we are becoming worse. 

3d Point. Who ought to serve God with fervor ? The obliga- 
tion rests equally on all, the young and the old. The young, be- 
cause they have strong passions, and strength to fast and practise 
mortification, which they cannot do when they are old. Great re- 
sults depend on small beginnings ; the safety of the edifice de- 
pends on its foundation, the^life of the tree on its roots, the fulness 
of a stream on its source, and the tranquillity of old age on its 
youth. An edifice whose foundation is bad will certainly tall, a 
tree whose roots are diseased will never bear good fruit, if water 
is poisoned at its source the stream will also be, and if a man's 
youth has been spent in corrupt pleasures his age will be also 
corrupt. Youth is nature's spring-time, and the flowers produced 
then are infinitely pleasing to God. Jesus Christ called children 
to Him ; He enibraced and blessed them. The young have need 



598 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

of many powerful graces to enable them to resist their passions. 
He who goes astray in the commencement of a voyage finds 
great difficulty in retracing his wav. Commonly speaking, man's 
salvation depends on the manner m \yhieh he has spent the years 
of his youth.* % 



TWENTY-FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. 



1st Point. There is no reason v>hy those who are advanced in 
years should be less fervent than those who are young. On the 
contrary, they ought to be more so, because they have more 
knowledge and experience, and their passions are more moder- 
ated ; because they have received more gi'aces, and much is ex- 
pected from him who has received much; because having lived a 
longer time they are consequently more indebted to God, who 
has been the author of every good gift they have received ; be- 
cause being further removed from their principal, they are more 
languishing, as a ray becomes more feeble in proportion as it is 
distant from the sun ; because they are nearer their last end, and 
ought to be more fervent, even as the elementary bodies acquire 
a more rapid movement as they approach the centre. They are 
near God, soon to appear before Him and render to Him an ac- 
count of their life. What niore powerful incentive than this to 
fervor '? Add to these reasons this consideration : that their ac- 
tions are all so many good examples, or else so many scandals to 
the young, and that it were better that a mill-stone were hung 
about their necks, and that they were cast into the depths of the 
sea, than that they should injure the innocence of the young, or 
lead them into vice by bad example and scandals. 

2d Point. Who can explain the extent of the peril incurred 
by both old and young when they become lax in. the service of 
God ? Nature presumes on a little indulgence, craves still more, 
and becomes exacting and insolent. The passions revolt, and in- 
sensibly destroy the empire of grace. Sins become more frequent 
and malignant, for the injuries that we receive from a friend are 
much more pain fid and unpardonable than those which are in- 
flicted by an enemy. God will not protect or defend a base and 

* Words of Scripture at the end of the following Meditation. 



TWENTY-FOURTH SATURDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 599 

unfaithful soul as He did when it was in grace and fervor. The 
few graces it receives it does not co-operate with. It commits great 
sins, and does not perceive their enorniity. Then, when grace 
withdraws, it conceives a great disgust for devotion^; it is dis- 
tracted and dissipated from without because it can find no satis- 
faction within. This disgust is followed by hardness and insensi- 
bility to all the touches of grace, to the advice of confessors, to 
the reproofs of superiors, to admonitions and threats from the 
pulpit, to the influence of all pious reading all good example, 
and finally to remorse of conscience. From insensibility it passes 
to conteinpt, which is the very bottom of iniquity, the character 
of reprobation, and the last degree of impenitence ; which attracts 
and induces mortal sins, a sudden and unprovided death, and the 
perdition of the soul. Christ vomits that soul from' his mouth 
and banishes it from his sacred heart forever. 

3d Point. Oh my God, I dread this state, and fear that I have 
fallen into it. Alas ! I was once fervent in thy service, but I am 
now cold. I omit my devotions, or when I do engage in them I 
have a multitude of distractions ; I hate solitude ; 1 no longer 
know what it is to enter into and examine myself with recollec- 
tion ; I only desire to converse, to enjoy, and please myself; I 
do no more penance ; 1 have laid down the arms of my warfare, 
and granted a truce to my enemies. What, Christian soul, is it 
thus you correspond with the graces that Almighty God has vouch- 
safed to you? x'Vre you not under a greater obligation to serve 
Him to-day than you were yesterday ? Is Jesus less attractive in 
his divine perfections at present than He w^as formerly ? . What 
do you expect to do 1 Do you expect to reach heaven without 
doing violence to the evil inclinations of your nature ? Do you 
expect to be crowned if you give up the conflict ? Is it possible to 
remain stationary on a rapid river, without either ascending or 
descending ? Are you not afraid of the wrath of the Lamb ? He 
cannot much longer bear with your tepidity ; you are a burden 
on his sacred heart, and He will drive you forth forever, unless 
you hasten to do penance and return to your first fervor. 

Oh my soul, attend to these words uttered by Jesus Christ : 
" Jje mindful^ therefore^ from whence thou art fallen : and do pen- 
once^ and do the first works. Or else I come to thee^ and will re- 
move thy candlestick out of lis place^ unless thou shall have done 
penance, ''-'^'^ Imitate St. Paul and other great saints, who in- 
creased in fervor as they advanced in years, being afraid that, 

♦ Apocalypse, ii. 5. 



(500 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

after having saved others, they should themselves become cast 
away. Renew m yom- heart a spirit of devotion, charity, and 
mortification ; of devotion towards God, charity towards your 
neighbor, and mortification towards yourself. Advance steadfast- 
ly and swiftly without stopping to rest. If you say, I am weary, 
1 have labored enough, fought enough, you will never be crowned 
with victory in heaven. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" In spirit fervent." Romans^ xii. 

" I know thy works ; that thou art neither cold nor hot : I would 
thou w^ert Qpld, or hot: but because thou art lukewarm, and 
neither cold, nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." 
Apocalypse^ iii. 

" For which cause I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace 
of God, which is in thee by the imposition of my hands." 2 Tim- 
othy^ i. 

" Woe to them that are faint-hearted, who believe not God : 
and therefore they shall not be protected by Him. Woe to them 
that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the right way, and 
have gone aside into crooked ways. And what will they do, 
when the Lord shall begin to examine V Ucclesiasticus^ ii. 

"And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on 
the new man, who, according to God, is created in justice and holi- 
ness of truth." JEphesians^ iv. 

" Let us hasten, therefore, to enter into that rest." Hebrews^ iv. 

" Save thy life : look not back, neither stay thou in all the 
country about ; but save thyself in the mountain, lest thou be 
also consumed." Genesis^ xix. 



EIGHTH OF SEPTEMBER. 

THE FESTIVAL OF THE NATIVITY OF MARY. 

ON THE HOLY NAME OF MARY. 

1st Point. The name of Mary rejoices the angels, consoles men, 
and puts demons to flight. After the name of Jesus, there is no 
name that is sweeter ; no name that is more powerful ; no name 



EIGHTH OF SEPTEMBER. 601 

• 

that is more holy than that of Mary. This name signifies a lady 
and a sea ; a lady of power and consolation, and a sea of bitter- 
ness ; a lady now, because once a servant ; a sea of bitterness it 
was for her, of consolation for us. If you desire to command, 
you must first learn the science of obedience ; if you wish to be 
consoled, you must suffer and endure. Oh holy Virgin, I desire 
to partake of the chalice of thy afflictions, that I may partake of 
the torrent of thy consolations. I wish to have a spirit of perfect 
obedience like unto thine, in order to reign in heaven with thee. 

2d Point. Oh, glorious Queen ! I rejoice at thy birth, regard- 
ing it as the beginning of my life and salvation. I salute thee in 
thy cradle, as on the throne of thy grace and innocence. Thou 
didst not, like ourselves, come into the world stained with original 
sin, a criminal, a slave, and bound under subjection to the enemy 
of souls ! Thou wert crowned with grace in thy birth, while the 
rest of mankind ar^ under the curse of sin before they are born. 

3d Point. Consecrate yourself, Christian soul, to the service of 
the holy and immaculate Virgin. Eegard her as your lady, your 
mother, your advocate. Honor her as lady, love her as mother, 
invoke her as advocate. Pray to her as lady, to take you under 
her gracious protection ; as mother, to give you her blessing ; as 
advocate, to favor vou with her intercession. 

4th Point. You are not a servant of Mary if you are not one 
of Jesus Christ ; you are not a child of Mary if you are not the 
child of Jesus. She will not pray for you if you are ashamed to 
pray to and invoke her aid ; she will not assist you at the hour 
of your death if you do not serve her faithfully during your life. 
If you wish to be truly one of her family love and imitate her 
purity of soul and body. Offer her every day a prayer ; every 
Aveek an alms ; every month a mortification ; and on all of her 
feasts a communion. Is it loving Mary to hate her Son 1 Is it 
honoring Mary to despise her Son '? What greater contempt can 
you show^ her than not to desire to eat at his table and receive 
Him mto vour heart. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" Thou art the glory of Jerusalem ; thou art the joy of Israel ; 
thou art the honor of our people." Judith, xv. 

" Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as 
the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army in array." 
Canticle, vi. 

" Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, 
above all women upon the earth." Judith, xiii. 
26 



602 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

" Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, 
for in every nation which shall hear thy name the God of Israel 
shall be magnified on occasion of thee." Judith^ xiii. 

" This same (?. e. this son) shall comfort us from the works and 
labors of our hands on the earth, which the Lord hath cursed." 
Genesis^ v. 

" A star shall rise out of Jacob." Numhei^s^ xxiv. 

" The little fountain which grew into a river, and was turned 
into a light, and into the sun, and abounded into many waters." 
Esther^ X. 

'' After her shall virgins be brought to the king." Psalm xliv. 



FIRST OF NOVEMBER. 

FEAST OF ALL SAINTS.* 

The Gospel. St Matt v. 1-12. 

" At that time, Jesus seeing the multitudes, He went up into a 
mountain: and when He had sat down, his disciples came to 
Him. And opening his mouth He taught them, saying : Blessed 
are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed 
are the meek : for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they 
that mourn : for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that 
hunger and thirst after justice : for they shall be filled. Blessed 
are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the 
clean of heart : for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace- 
makers : for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed 
are they that suffer persecution for justice sake : for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you, 
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you 
falsely, for my sake ; rejoice and be exceeding glad, because your 
reward is very great in heaven." 

ON THE HAPPINESS OF ALL SAINTS. 

1st Point. Lift up your heart and soul to the highest heaven. 
Enter into the glorious palace of the divinity. Contemplate the 
great and resplendent company of saints therein, and consider the 
happiness which they enjoy. 

2d Point. Heaven is a place exempt from every evil, and filled 



FIRST OF NOVEMBER. 603 

with an infinitude of delights, where the souls and bodies of the 
saints will enjoy unchanging rest. St. Paul says : That eye hath 
not seen, nor the ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of 
man to conceive, that which God hath prepared for those who 
love Him. Have you seen all the splendors and magnificence of 
this earth ? Have you imagined all that the human mind is capable 
of conceiving of their splendors ? Still it is all nothing compared 
to heaven. It is there that God reveals in splendor his power and 
magnificence. What cannot God do ? Is there any thing more 
admirable than this world ? and after all it is but the dim shadow 
of that celestial land, the distant outposts of that glorious pal- 
ace ! If God, then, has prepared so admirable a dwelling for 
beasts and criminal men, what has He reserved for his saints and 
his best friends ? You cannot read without horror of the suffer- 
ings of martyrs, and yet all that they endured was as nothing 
compared to the exceeding great reward that awaited them in the 
land of the living. To understand its worth it is only necessary 
to consider the price that was paid for it, being nothing less than 
the blood of a God, which was shed to the last drop that we may 
merit heaven. Oh, heaven is a prize of inestimable worth, a goal 
where all labors cease, and where the weary rest forever. 

Is not God more liberal in his recompenses than in his chastise- 
ments ? What is there more miserable than a lost soul ? Con- 
trast with its unavailing and unutterable woe the happiness of 
the saints ! They shall, says David, be inebriated with a torrent 
of delights ; they shall be loaded with joy and contentment ; they 
shall have all that they desire, and nothing that they can fear. 
Their good shall be unmixed with evil, their pleasure with grief; 
their abundance with poverty ; their rest shall be without inquiet- 
ude, their life without death, and their felicity without end. 
'' Without endf^ Oh, heaven ! my soul expands with ineffable 
joy when I reflect that I can, through the merits of Jesus, win an 
entrance into thy glory. Happy, oh Lord, are those who rest in 
thy house, they will praise Thee in the highest heaven. 

3d Point. The object of our happiness shall be God, who is 
the essence of all beauty, of all goodness, and of all pleasures. 
He will fill our souls with the plenitude of his light ; our will 
with tiiie abundance of his peace ; our memory with the extent of 
his eternity ; our subsistence with the purity of his being, and all 
our senses and powers with the immensity of his benefits and the 
infinitude of his riches. We shall see Him as He is. We shall 
love Him without defect. We shall behold Him, the Source of 
all beauty, and the sight will ravish our mind ; we shall see Him, 



604 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

the Source of all goodness, and the contemplation thereof will 
satiate our soul with enjoyment. O sweet occupation ! O inesti- 
mable happiness! My soul, what are you doing on earth? What 
is it that you seek among creatures ? Are they capable of filling 
the heart ? Can the pleasures of the senses content and satiate 
the spirit? Oh, my God, I shall never be satisfied until Thou 
hast manifested thy glory to me. 

4th Point. How shall we enjoy God ] By a peaceable pos- 
session, as of an inheritance which can never be disputed. By an 
intimate union with Him, without the fear of ever being separated 
from Him. In virtue of this union we shall become like God, 
says St. John, that is to say, pure, holy, powerful, wise, and 
happy, as He is. He will transform us into himself, not by the 
destruction of our being, but by uniting it to his. He will com- 
municate to us his own nature, greatness, strength, knowledge, 
sanctity, riches, and felicity. We will exclaim in the plenitude 
of our joy : "0 it is good to he herey Oh, who can describe the 
joy of a soul, which, on entering into heaven, discovers its sove- 
reign good ? O, what love ! O, what ecstasy ! O^ what delight ! 
O, what praise, tlmnksgiving, and acts of grace, characterize its 
every movement. 

5th Point. The body shall share in the felicity of the soul, 
which felicity consists of four things. 1st. The beauty and splen- 
dor of the place it is in, which is the house of God. 2d. The 
glorious company of the saints, who, all being united by an invi- 
olable charity, and exchange of love, enjoy their treasures, their 
delights, and happiness in common. 3d. The gifts of glory with 
which the body shall be clothed, which are impassibility, bright- 
ness, agility, and subtility. Finally, in the pleasures of the 
senses, which shall know a satisfliction that is pure and without 
alloy, disgust, or fatigue. Behold what is prepared for us, pro- 
vided we refuse to our bodies the forbidden pleasures of this life, 
and afflict them by fasts and penances, for it is impossible to have 
consolations in this world and the next. 

6th Point. But that which shall fill up the measure of our hap- 
piness is, '' that it will never enciy Eternity is a permanent dura- 
tion, which has neither past nor future, but is always present. 
Thus the saints enjoy each moment all the joys of eternity, 
though not all in full, for they each moment discover some 
new delight in the contemplation of God, some new beauty, and 
additional cause for reioiciiig. Oh, holy Zion ! where all remains, 
and nothing passes away ; where all is found, and nothing is 
wanting ; where all is sweet, and nothing is bitter ; where all is 



FIRST OF NOVEMBER. 605 

calm, and nothing is agitated. O, happy land ! whose roses are 
without thorns ; pleasures without griefs ; peace without combats ; 
and life without end. Oh, holy Thabor ! oh, palace of the liv- 
ing God ! oh, celestial Jerusalem ! where we will sing eternally 
the beautiful canticles of Zion. Who can find difficulty in work- 
ing, knowing that this will be the recompense of our labors'? 
Who will refuse to persevere in the conflict, seeing the glorious 
crowns which are prepared for those who win ? 

7th Point.. Alas ! I am far from thee, oh beautiful Zioh ! By 
the river of Babylon I toil, and mingle my tears with the waters! 
in this miserable captivity, I groan under the tyranny of my pas- 
sions. The masters whom I serve treat me with merciless se- 
verity ; although I endeavor to satisfy them, I cannot ; the more 
I do, the more they require. Oh, when wilt Thou come, my 
Lord, to deliver me from this servitude ? when wilt Thou take 
me from this land of exile and death? when break asunder the 
chains that fetter me to earth ? " How lovely are thy tahernacles^ 
Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of 
the Lord:'^ 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" The eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered 
into the heart of man to conceive what things God hath prepared 
for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians^ ii. 

" We shall be filled with the good things of thy house." 
.Psalm Ixiv. 

" And I saw a new heaven and a new earth And I heard 

a great voice from the throne, saying : Behold the tabernacle of 
the Lord with men ; and He will dwell with them : And they 
shall be his people : and God himself with them shall be their 
God." Apocalypse^ xxi. 

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and 
death shall be no more ; nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow 
shall be any more ; for the former things are passed away." Ibid, 

" Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of 
the Lamb." 

* Psalm IxxxiiL 



606 DEVOUT MEDITATIONS. 

TWENTY-FIRST OF NOVEMBER. 
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

ON THE OFFERING OUR BLESSED LADY MADE OF HERSELF TO GOD. 

1st Point. Mary made an entire offering of herself to God. 
She offered unto Him every thing over which sh^ had power. 
She offered it to Him with good will ; she offered it to Him for 
ever, and by an irrevocable promise. 

We give to God the least part of our heart ; we give it to Him 
carelessly and grudgingly ; we give it to Him with regret, and 
only for a season. We take it back almost as soon as given. 

Oh Christian, when will you renounce those worldly ties 
which keep you from a full offering of yourself to God ? 

2d Point. Oh, holy Virgin, I give myself to thee ; I give my- 
self to thee with all my heart. 1 am ashamed of having deferred 
offering myself to thee so long. I give myself to thee by an ir- 
revocable promisfe. 

Offer my heart to thy divine Son. I offer it all to Him with- 
out division, without regret, and forever. Obtain for me, oh ten- 
der and compassionate mother, a favorable acceptance of the 
offering that I present. Take on thyself the care of my salvation ; 
assist me at the hour of my death, and show unto me the fruit 
of thy womb Jesus. 

WORDS OF SCRIPTURE. 

" It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his 
youth. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he 
hath taken it up upon himself." Lamentations^ iii. 

" But she {the dove) not finding where her foot might rest, re- 
turned to him into the ark." Genesis^ viii. 

" But a certain man, named Ananias, with Saphira his wife, sold 
a field, and by fraud kept part of the price." Acts^ v. 

" Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst 
lie to the Holy Ghost, and by fraud keep back part of the price 
of the field?" Ibid. 

'' Their heart is divided : now they shall perish." Osee^ x. 



IMMOYABLE FEASTS OF THE YEAR. 



-4-*-^ 



EIGHTH OF DECEMBER. 

FEAST OF lUE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF TEiE BLESSED 

VIRGIN. 



LCE OF HER C 
(See page 188.) 



ON THE GRACE OF HER CONCEPTION. 



SECOND OF FEBRUARY. 
PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

ON" THE VIRTUES SHE PRACTISED IN THE TEMPLE. 
(See page 191.) 



TWENTY-SIXTH OF MARCH. 
ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

ON THE MYSTERY. 

(See pag6 337.) 



608 IMMOVABLE FEASTS OF THE YEAR, 

SECOND OF JULY. 
FEAST OF THE VISITATION. 



ON THE MYSTERY, 
((iee page 4t4.) 



-♦♦♦- 



FIFTEENTH OF AUGUST. 

^SSTOIPTIO]S■ OF THE BLESSED YIRGIN. 

first peMtatifftt. 

ON THE DEATH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 
(See page 476.) 



ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 
(See page 478.) 



GENERAL INDEX. 



»♦• 



Page 

First Sunday in Advent. — On the Last Judgment 7 

First Monday in Advent. — On the End of Man 9 

First Tuesday in Advent. — On Death 11 

First Wednesday in Advent. — It is necessary to prepare one's self for 

Death and Judgment 12 

First Thursday in Advent. — On the good Works which will serve us 

when we are Judged 14 

First Friday in Advent. — ^The Repentance which prepares us for 

Judgment 15 

Fir^T Saturday in Advent. — On Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 

whose Intercession can render our Judge favorable to us 17 

Second Sunday in Advent. — '' Art Thou He who is to come" 18 

For the Same Day. — On the same Subject 20 

Second Monday in Advent. — On Human Respect". 21 

Second Tuesday in Advent. — On Active Scandal and Bad Example . . 23 

Second Wednesday in Advent. — On the same Subject as the preceding 25 

Second Thursday in Advent. — On the Persecutions of the Wicked. . . 27 

Second Friday in Advent. — On Poverty 29 

Second Saturday in Advent. — On a Good and Bad Conscience 30 

Third Sunday in Advent. — On the Knowledge of one's self 31 

Third Monday in Advent. — On Humility 33 

Third Tuesday in Advent. — On the Practice of Humility 35 

Third Wednesday in Advent. — On the Vain Judgments of Men 37 

Third Thursday in Advent. — On the Contempt we ought to show for 

the Judgments of Men 38 

T^'iRD Friday in Advent. — Patience .' 89 

Third Saturday in Advent. — On the Exercise of Patience 41 

Fourth Sunday in Advent. — On the Baptism of Penance 42 

Fourth Monday in Advent. — Conversion ought not to be delayed. ... 44 

Fourth Tuesday in Advent. — On the Delay of Repentance 46 

26* 



610 GENERAL INDEX. 

PAGE 

Fourth Wednesday in Advent. — On the First Condition of True Re- 
pentance. To prepare us for the Birth of Jesus Christ 47 

Fourth Thursday "in Advent. — On the Second Condition of True Re- 
pentance ^49 

Fourth Friday in Advent. — Third Condition of True Repentance. ... 50 

Day Before Christmas. — On the necessary Dispositions to receive our 

Divine Saviour 62 

Christmas Eve. — On the Journey of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph 

to Bethlehem 54 

Christ]mas-Day. — On the Words of the Angels to the Shepherds 57 

For the Same Day. — On the same Subject 60 

For the Same Day. — On the Birth of Jesus Christ 61 

Aspirations of Tenderness towards the Infant Jesus 63 

Feast of St. Stephen. — On his Virtues and Martyrdom 64 

Feast of St. John the Evangelist. — On these Words of the Gospel: 

**The Disciple that Jesus loved." 67 

Feast of the Holy Innocents. — On their Mart^Tdora 69 

Twenty-Ninth of December. — On the Poverty of Jesus Christ 71 

Thirtieth of December. — On the Humility of the Infant Jesus 72 

Thirtieth of December. — On Death 73 

First of January. — On the holy Name of Jesus, which was given to 

our Lord on the Day of his Circumcision 75 

Second of January. — On the Abasement of the Son of God, in his In- 
carnation and Circumcision 77 

Third of January. — Life of Jesus Christ compared with ours 78 

Fourth of January. — On the Good Use of Time 79 

The Eve of the Epiphany. — On the Journey of the Magi 80 

Epiphany. — On the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and that of Satan 83 

Seventh of January. — On the Kingdom of God 84 

Eighth of January. — On Faith, of which the Star seen by the Magi 

was the Sjnnbol , 85 

Ninth of January. — On the Excellence of Faith 87 

Tenth of January. — On Divine Inspiration 88 

Eleventh of January. — On the Danger of not resisting Temptation . . 89 

Twelfth of January. — On the Ways of God 91 

First Sunday after Epiphany. — On the Loss of God 93 

Fourteenth of January. — How to find God after having lost Him. ... 95 

Fifteenth of January. — Motives for Repentance 96 

Sixteenth of January. — On the Duties of Fathers and Mothers to their 

Children, and of Superiors to their Inferiors 98 

Seventeenth of January. — On the same Subject 99 

Eighteenth of January. — On the Obedience we owe to God 101 

Nineteenth of January. — On the same Subject 102 



GENERAL INDEX. 611 

Second Sunday after Epiphany. — On what passed at the Wedding ^■*"^^ 
Feast 104 

Second Monday after Epiphany. — On the Gospel of Sunday 105 

Second Tuesday after Epiphany. — On a State of Life . . , 107 

Second Wednesday after Epiphany. — On Spiritual Joy 110 

Si;goND Thup.sday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject Ill 

Second Friday after Epiphany, — On Aridity and Dryness 113 

Second Saturday after Epiphany. — Spiritual Canticle 114* 

Third Sunday after Epiphany. — On Communion 114 

Third Monday after Epiphany. — On the Dispositions necessary to re- 
ceive well 117 

Third Tuesday after Epiphany. — On Confession 119 

Third Wednesday after Epiphany. — On the Defects of Confession ... 121 

Third Thursday after Epiphany. — On Spiritual Guidance 123 

Third Friday after Epiphany. — On the Choice of a Confessor 125 

Third Saturday after Epiphany. — On Obedience to Superiors 1 27 

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. — On the Gospel 129 

Fourth Monday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 131 

Fourth Tuesday after Epiphany. — On the Use and jS^ecessity of 

Temptation 131 

Foltith Wednesday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 133 

Fourth Thursday after Epiphany. — On the Dominion of God over us. 134 

Fourth Friday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 136 

Fourth Saturday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 137 

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. — On the Gospel . 138 

Fifth Monday after Epiphany. — On the Necessity of forsaking Evil 

Company : ". 141 

Fifth Tuesday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 142 

Fifth Wednesday after Epiphany. — On the Pains of Hell 143 

Fifth Thursday after Epiphany. — On the Two Eternities, Heaven and 

Hell 145 

Fifth Friday after Epiphany. — On the hasty Desires of the Soul .... 146 

Fifth Saturday after Epiphany. — On the same Subject 147 

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. — On the Gospel 14S 

Sixth Monday after Epiphany. — On Fidelity in LittleThings 151 

Sixth Tuesday after Epiphany. — On Christian Perfection 152 

Sixth Wednesday after Epiphany. — On Humility which is repre- 
sented by the small Grain of Mustard 154 

Sixth Thursday after Epiphany. — On the Effects of Humility 155 

Sixth Friday after Epiphany. — On other Effects of Humility 157 

Sixth Saturday after Epiphany. — On an Interior Life which is repre- 
sented by a Grain of Mustard 158 

Septuagesima Sunday. — On the Gospel 160 



612 GENERAL INDEX 

PAGB 

Monday after Septu a-Gesima Sunday. — On the small ]S"umber of those 

who are saved 163 

Tuesday after Septuagesima Sunday. — Why so few are saved 165 

^Wednesday after Septuagesima Sunday. — On Envy 166 

Thursday after Septuagesima Sunday. — On the Malicious and Miser- 
able Results of Env}^ ,. 168 

Friday after Septuagesima Sunday. — On the same Subject 169 

»Saturday after Septuagesiaia Sunday. — Remed}^ for Envy 170 

Sexagesima Sunday. — On the Gospel 172 

Monday after Sexagesima Sunday. — On the Excellence and Importance 

of the Word of God 175 

Tui-:sDAY AFTER Sexagesima Sunday. — On the same Subject 176 

Wednesday after Sexagesima Sunday. — On the same Subject 178 

Thursday after Sexagesima Sunday. — -On Poverty 179 

Friday after Sexagesima Sunday. — On too great a Solicitude about 

our Health 180 

Saturday after Sexagesima Sunday. — On the Happiness of the Blessed 

Virgin 183 

Quinquagesima Sunday. — On the Gospel 184 

Monday after Quinquagesima. — On Hatred of the World 186 

Tuesday after Quinquagesima. — On the same Subject 187 

Eighth of December. — Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the 

Blessed Virgin. On the Grace of her Conception 168 

Second of February. — Purification of the Blessed Virgin. On the 

Virtues she practised in the Temple 191 

Ash- Wednesday. — On exterior Penance and Mortification 193 

Thursday after Asii-Wednesday. — On the same Subject 194 

Friday after Ash- Wednesday. — On the Excellence of Mortification. . 196 
Saturday after Ash- Wednesday. — On the Obligations we are under to 

meditate on the Passion of Jesus Clirist 197 

First Sunday in Lent. — On the Causes of Temptation 199 

First ^Ionday in Lent. — The Passion of our Lord in general 201 

First Tuesday in Lent.— On the^same Subject. 202 

First Wednesday in Lent. — Jesus in the Garden of Olives 203 

First Thursday in Lent. — On the Bloody Sweat 204 

First Friday in Lent. — The Prayer of Jesus in the Garden 205 

First Saturday in Lent. — The Dolors of the Blessed Virgin 206 

Second Sunday in Lent. — On the Transfiguration 208 

Second Monday in Lent. — On the Treason of Judas 210 

Second Tuesday in Lent. — On the Courage of Jesus after his Prayer 

in the Garden \ ,, 212 

Second Wednesday in Lent. — Jesus is taken by his Enemies 213 

Second THU^^SDAY in Lent, — On the Blow that Jesus received in the 

Presence of the Hii^h Prif st 215 



GENERAL INDEX. 613 

Second Friday in Lent. — On the Outrages that our Lord received in ^^^ 
the House of Caiaphas 216 

Second Satuui^ay in Lent. — On the Seven Stations of our Lord's Pas- 
sion ; 217 

Third Sunday in Lent. — On Relapses into Sin 220 

Third Monday in Lent. — On the Fall of St. Peter 222 

Third Tuesday in Lent. — On the Repentance of St. Peter, and the De- 
spair of Judas Iscariot , 224 

Third Wednesday in Lent. — On the Cause of the Conversion of St. 

Peter 225 

Third Thursday in Lent. — Jesus is accused before Pilate 226 

Third Friday in Lent.— On the Contempt of Herod for Jesus, and the 

Silence of Jesus before Herod 228 

Third Saturday in Lent. — Jesus confesses that He is a King 229 

Fourth Sunday in Lent. — On Almsgiving 230 

Fourth Monday in Lent. — The Jews prefer Barabbas to Jesus 232 

Fourth Tuesday in Lent. — On the Scourges of our Lord. 233 

Fourth Wednesday in Lent. — Jesus is crowned with Thorns 234 

Fourth Thursday in Lent. — Sentiments of Grief and Compassion for 

the Sufferings of Jesus 235 

FoLTiTH Friday in Lent. — On the Sentence of Death pronounced against 

Jesus \' 237 

Fourth Saturday in Lent. — Jesus is abandoned to the Power of his 

Enemies , 239 

Passion Sunday. — On the Gospel of the Day 240 

Monday in Passion Week — Jesus carries his Cross 242 

Tuesday in Passion Week. — Jesus on the Cross 244 

Wednesday in Passion Week. — Jesus prays for his Enemies 245 

Thursday in Passion Week. — On the Penitence of the good Thief and 

the Impenitence of the bad 247 

Friday in Passion Week. — On the Passion of the Blessed Virgin .... 248 

Saturday in Passion Week. — The Passion of the Blessed Virgin, con- 
tinued .^. 249 

Palm Sunday. — On the Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem 251 

Monday in Holy Week. — On the Abandonment of our Saviour on the 

Cross 253 

Tuesday in Holy Week. — On the Thirst of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . 255 

Wednesday in Holy Week. — " It is Consummated" 256 

l^oLY Thursday. — On the Last Words of our Lord on the Cross 258 

Good FrIday. — On the Death of Jesus Christ. 259 

Holy Saturday. — On the Burial of our Lord 260 

Easter Sunday. — On the Resurrection of our Lord 262 

Easter Monday.— On the Bad Effects of Sadness 264 

Easter Tuesday. — On Peace of Soul 2G6 



614 GENERAL INDEX. 

PAGB 

Easter Wednesday. — On Spiritual Joy 267 

Easter Thursday. — On the same Subject. , . . 2G9 

Easter Friday. — How a Soul may rise perfect with Jesus 270 

Easter Satlrday. — On the Joy of the Blessed Virgin on beholding her 

Son after his Resurrection 271 

First Sunday in the Octate of Easter. — On the Wounds of our Lord. 273 

Monday after the Octave of Easter. — Of a Soul that has found 

Peace 27 5 

Tuesday after the Octave of Easter. — On Singularity 276 

Wednesday after the Octave of Easter. — On the Excellence of be- 
ing under the Guidance of God 277 

Thursday after the Octave of Easter. — On the Evils of straying 

from God 279 

Friday after the Octave of Easter — On the same Subject 279 

Saturday after the Octave of Easter. — On the Humility and Mod- 
esty of the Holy Virgin 281 

Second Sunday after Easter. — On the Gospel of the Good Shepherd. 283 

Second Monday after !Easter. — On the same Subject 284 

Second Tuesday after Easter. — On the same Subject 285 

Second Wednesday after Easter. — On Hatred towards our Neighbor 286 

Second Thursday after Easter. — On the same Subject 287 

Second Friday aftjer Easter. — On the Imitation of Christ 288 

Second Saturday after Easter. — On the Virtues of Jesus Christ con- 
trasted with our Vices 289 

Third Sunday after Easter. — On the Gospel. ... , 290 

Third Monday after Easter. — On the sam.e Subject 292 

Third Tuesday after Easter. — On the Causes of Sadness 293 

Third Wednesday after Easter. — Remedies for Sadness 294 

Third Thursday after Easter. — On the same Subject 295 

Third Friday after Easter. — On the Grief and Persecutions suffered 

by good Men 297 

Third Saturday after Easter. — Of a Soul restored to God by Perse- 
cution 298 

Fourth Sunday after Easter. — On the Gospel 299 

Fourth Monday after Easter. — On the same Subject 801 

Fourth Tuesday after Easter. — On the Condemnation of the World. 302 
Fourth Wednesday after Easter. — Useful Considerations to detach us 

from the World 303 

Fourth Thursday after Easter. — On Hatred of Sin f . . . 304 

Fourth Friday after Easter. — On tlie Maliciousness of Sin 305 

Fourth Saturday after Easter. — On the same Subject 307 

Fifth Sunday after Easter. — On Prayer 308 

Fifth Monday after Easter. — On Distractions and Dryness :n Prayer. 309 



GENERAL INDEX. 615 

PAGE 

Fifth Tuesday after Easter. — On the Virtue of Prayer 311 

Wednesday the Eve of the Ascension. — On the Words of the Gospel 

for tiiis Day and the Sunday preceding 313 

Ascension Day. — On the Mystery 315 

Friday in the Octave of the Ascension. — On Heaven 316 

Saturday in the Octave of the Ascension. — On the Dispositions 

which are necessary to obtain Heaven 317 

Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension. — On the Testimony we 
ought to give concerning Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost and the 
Apostles 318 

Sixth Monday after Easter. — On the Necessity of Affliction and Per- 
secution 320 

Sixth Tuksday after Easter, — Motives of Patience 321 

Sixth Wednesday after Easter. — Other Motives of Patience 322 

Sixth Thursday after Easter. — ^Other Motives of Patience.' 324 

Sixth Friday after Easter. — On Silence. To dispose Ourselves to re- 
ceive the Holy Ghost 326 

Sixth -Saturday after Easter. — On the Excellence of Silence 327 

Feast of Pentecost, commonly called Whit-Sunday. — On the Descent 

of the Holy Ghost 328 

Monday in Pentecost. — On the Effects of the Descent of the Holy 

Ghost \ 329 

Tuesday in Pentecost. — On the opposite Qualities of the Holy Ghost 

and the Spirit of the Devil \ 329 

Wednesday in Pentecost. — On the Love of God 330 

Thursday in the Octave of Pentecost. — On Fervor and Lukewarra- 

ness 332 

Friday in the Octave of Pentecost. — On Relaxation 333 

Saturday in the Octave of PENTECof^- -On the Causes of Relaxation . 335 
Twenty-Fifth of March. — Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. On 

tiie Mystery 337 

Paraphrase. — On the Angelical Salutation 338 

Trinity Sunday. — On the Mystery of the Holy Trinity 340 

Monday after Trinity Sunday. — On the Divine Perfections 342 

Tuesday after Trinity Sunday. — On the same Subject 343 

Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, — On the same Subject 343 

Thursday. — Feast of Corpus Christ! and the two Days following. On 

the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament 345 , 

Friday in the Octave of Corpus Christl — Jesus instituted the Sacra- 
ment for the Good and Consolation of our Souls 347 

Saturday in the Octave of Corpus Christl — Jesus instituted this 

Sacrament for the Healing and Sirnctitication of our Bodies 348 

Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christl — On the Gospel 349 

Monday in the Octave of Corpus Christl — Loving Invitations of our 

Lord Jesus Christ to come to his Banquet 352 



G16 GENERAL INDEX 

PAGE 

Tuesday in the Octave of Corpus Christt. — On the Reasons of those 

who excuse Themselves from Communion 354 

Wednesday in the Octave of Corpus Christi. — Other Objections re- 
futed 356 

Thursday in the Octave of Corpus Christi. — On the Love that Jesus 

Christ shows us in the Sacrament of the Altar 359 

For the same Day. — On the Gospel 360 

Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christl — On the Effects pro- 
duced by the Holy Eucharist : 362 

Saiurday after the Octave of Corpus Christi. — On the Obligations 
we are under to the Blessed Virgin for her Divine Son, whom we 

receive in this Holy Sacrament 365 

Third Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 367 

Third Monday after 1*entecost. — On the Love we ouarht to bear Jesus, 

our good fciiepherd 370 

Third Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Love of God for Sinners. . . 371 
Third Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Love we ought to have 

for God, who is the Shepherd of the Universe .*. 373 

Third Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Love of God for Man .... 374 
Third Friday after Pentecost. — On other Properties of the Love of 

G od 37 5 

Third Saitjkday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 376 

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 377 

Fourth Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 379 

Fourth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Purity of Intention 381 

Fourth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On Obedience 382 

Fourth Thursday after Pentecost. — On Detachment from Creatures . 384 

Fourth Friday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 385 

Fourth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the Happiness of those who 

leave all to follow Jesus Christ 385 

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 387 

Fifth Monday after Pentecost. — On the necessary Dispositions to Com- 
municate .... 389 

Fifth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Purity of Intention contrasted 

with the Vanity of the Pharisees 390 

Fifth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Marks of a pure Intention. 391 

Fifth Thursday after Pentecost. — On Meekness and Ansrer 393 

Fifth Friday after Pentecost. — Remedies against Anger 395 

Fifth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the Foolishness of Anger 395 

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 397 

Sixth IMonday after Pentecost. — On the Miracle related in the Gospel 399 
Sixth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Hope and Confidence in God . . 401 
Sixth Wednesday afier Pentecost. — On the Dryness and Aridity of 

the Desert ; 403 



GENERAL INDEX. 617 

PAGE 

Sixth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Care of our Salvation. . . , 404 
Sixth Friday after Pentecost, — On the Excellence of abandoning one's 

self to the Guidance of God 405 

Sixth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the State of a Soul that aban- 
dons itself to God : 406 

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 40''7 

Seventh Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 409 

Seventh Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Necessity of good Works. 411 

Seventh Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Necessity of all our 

Actions being good 412 

Seventh Thursday after Pentecost.— Motives of Fear 413 

Seventh Friday after Pentecost. — On the Recollection necessary to 

the Performance of good Actions 414 

Seventh Saturday after Pentecost. — On Conformity to the will of God 416 

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 41*7 

Eighth Monday after Pentecost. ^ — On the same Subject 419 

Eighth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Slander 420 

Eighth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Account that we must 

render to God at the Last Day 421 

Eighth Thursday ai-ter Pentecost. — On the Things of which it will 

be necessary to render an Account 422 

Eighth Friday after Pentecost. — On the Riches of God 423 

Eighth Saturday after Pentecost. — On Alms 424 

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 426 

Ninth Monday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 42*7 

Ninth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Death of the Wicked, which 

.is figured by the City of Jerusalem surrounded by Enemies 429 

Ninth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Death of the Just 431 

Ninth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Chastisement of Sinners. . 432 
Ninth Friday after Pentecost. — On an Abuse of the Graces and Yisi- 

' tations of our Lord 434 

Ninth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the Troubles that follow those 

wlio abuse the Gifts of God 435 

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 437 

Tenth Monday after Pentecost. — On Presumption 439 

Tenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — Other Motives of Fear 440 

Tenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On our own Nothingness 441, 

Tenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On Prayer 442 

Tenth Friday after Pentecost. — On the Defects of Prayer 444 

Tenth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 445 

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 446 

Eleventh Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Gospel 447 

Eleventh Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Sins of Habit, prefigured by 

the deaf and dumb Man in the Gospel 449 



618 GENERAL INDEX. 

__ PAGE 

EYEXTH Wednesday after Pentecost — On the same Subject 450 

Eleventh Thup^sday after Pentecost. — -On Conformity to the will of 

God 451 

Eleventh Friday after Pentecost. — On the Happiness of those who 

conform to the Will of God 452 

Eleventh Saturday after Pentecost. — Of a Soul abandoned to the 

Will of God 453 

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 464 

Twelfth Monday after Pentecost. — On the Love of God 455 

i WELFTH Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Charity 457 

Twelfth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Unity of Love 458 

xwelfth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Love of our Neighbor, 

prefigured by the Charity of the Samaritan 459 

Twelfth Friday after Pentecost, — On Particular Friendships and 

Natural Inclinations 460 

Twelfth Saturday after Pentecost. — On the Bad Effects of Particu- 
lar Friendships 461 

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 463 

Thirteenth Monday after Pentecost. — On the Cure of the Lepers .... 465 

Thirteenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Sickness 466 

Thirteenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On flying from Bad Com- 
pany and all Occasions of Sin 468 

Thirteenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 469 

Thirteenth Friday after Pentecost. — On Chastity 471 

Thirteenth Saturday after Pentecost. — On Zeal for the Glory of God 472 

Second of July. — Feast of the Visitation. On the Mystery 474 

Fifteenth of August. — Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. 

On the Death of the Blessed Virgin 476 

For the same Day. — On the Resurrection of the Blessed Virgin 478 

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 479 

Fourth Monday after Pentecost. — On the Service of God 481 

Fourteenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Obligations we are 

under to serve God 482 

Fourteenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — "You cannot serve God 

and Mammon" 484 

Fourteenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Misfortune of Riches 485 
Fourteenth Friday after Pentecost. — On Confidence in God for the 

Necessaries of Life 486 

Fourteenth Saturday after Pentecost.— On the End of Man, which 

is to seek the Kingdom of God 488 

FiFi-EENTH Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 489 

Fifteenth Monday after Pentecost. — On Death 491 

Fifteenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Necessity of preparing 

for Death 492 



GENERAL INDEX. 619 

PAGE 

FiFrEE>TH "Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Certiiinty of Death 

and the 2s ecessity of Re^gnation 494 

Fifteenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Dispositions of a Pious 

Soul near Death 495 

Fifteenth Friday after Pentecost. — Paraphrase. On the *' Our Fa- 
ther/' to dispose One to die Well 498 

Futeenth Saturday after Pentecost. ^Pa/'rtp/?ra.?«. On the Salve 
Eegiua to implore the Assistance of the Blessed Yirgin, to whom 

her Son has given us 501 

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 503 

Sixteenth Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 505 

Sixteenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Yain Judgments of Men 506 
Sixteenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Pride which makes 

us desire the first Place 508 

Sixteenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On a Knowledge of God and 

of Ourselves 509 

Sixteenth Friday after Pentecost. — On Humility 511 

Sixteenth Saturday after Pentecost. — On tiie Practice of Humility . 512 

Seventeenth Sunday after Pen-tecost. — On the Gospel 513 

Seventeenth ^Ionday after Pentecost — On the same Subject 515 

Seventeenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Love that we ought 

to bear our Lord Jesus Christ 51Y 

Seyenteenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — How we ought to Love 

our Neighbor 520 

Seventeenth Thursday after Pentecost. — Another Model for the Love 

of our Neighbor , p20 

Seven'Teenth Friday after Pentecost. — Concerning the Properties of a 

Love for one's Neighbor, and the Defects which are Contrary to it 522 
Seventeen-th Saturday after Pentecost. — Concerning other Properties 

of this Love for our Xeighbor 523 

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel. 524 

Eighteenth Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Gospel ..... 526 

Eighteenth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On Lukewarmness represented 

by the Sick Man 528 

Eighteenth Wednesday after Pentecost, — On Confidence in God . . . 529 

Eighteenth Thursday aft:er Pentecost. — On Faith 580 

Eighteenth Friday after Pen'tecost. — On Spiritual Difl3culties 532 

Eighteenth Saturday after Pentecost. — Motives for Hope 533 

Nineteen'TH Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 535 

Nineteenth Mont)ay after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 537 

NiNETEEN-TH TuTSDAY AFTER Pentecost. — On the Tendcmess of Jesus for 

Sinners 539 

Nineteenth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On what God does to gain 

Sinners 541 



620 GENERAL INDEX. 

PAGE 

jSineteenth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the Means of exciting in 

Ourselves the Love of God , 642 

Nineteenth Feiday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 544 

Nineteenth Saturday after Pentecost. — On th^ small Number of the 

Saved 545 

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 547 

Twentieth Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 549 

Twentieth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Words, ** He was on 

the Point of Death" 551 

Twentieth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 552 

Twentieth Thursday after Pentecost. — On the same Subject 553 

Twentieth Friday after Pentecost. — On the Nature and Bad Effect 

of a Yenial Sin 555 

Twentieth Saturday a>ter Pentecost. — On the Words, "Unless you 

see Signs and Wonders, you believe not" 557 

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 559 

Twenty-First Monday afier Pentecost. — On the same Gospel 560 

Twenty-First Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Presence of God. .. 563 

Twenty-First Wednesday after Pentecost. — On these W^ords, " So 
also shall my heavenly Father do to you. if you forgive not every 
one his Brother from your Hearts" 564 

Twenty-First Thursday after Pentecost. — Other Reasons why we 

should forgive our Enemies 565 

Twenty-First Friday after Pentecost. — On Motives of Patience .... 566 

Twenty-First Saturday after Pentecost. — On other Motives of Pa- 
tience 566 

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 566 

Twenty-Second Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Gospel 568 

Twenty^-Second Tuesday after Pentecost. — On these Words, '* Whose 

Image and Inscription is this ?" 570 

Taventy-Second Wednesday after Pentecost. — On Simplicity or Sin- 
gleness of Heart 671 

Twenty-Second Thursday after Pentecost. — -Means to arrive at Sim- 
plicity of Heart and Mind o72 

Twenty-Second Friday after Pentecost. — On the Incomprehensibility 

of God, and how we should honor Him 573 

Twenty-Second Saturday after Pentecost. — On Confoi-mity with God, 

of whom we are the Image •. 574 

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost. — On the Gospel 576 

Twenty-Third Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Gospel 578 

Twenty-Third Tuesday after Pentecost — On the Death of the Good 579 
Twenty-Third Wednesday after Pentecost. — On Confidence in God. , 581 
Twenty-Third Thursday after Pentecost. — On other Motives for Con- 
fidence in God 582 

Twenty-Third Friday after Pentecost. —On Solitude 583 



GENERAL INDEX. 621 

PAGK 

Twenty-Third Saturday after Pentecost. — The Road to Solitude. . . . 584 

Twenty -Fourth, or last Sunday after Pentecost, — On the Gospel.. . 585 

Twenty-Fourth Monday after Pentecost. — On the same Gospel 588 

Twenty-Fourth Tuesday after Pentecost. — On the Affair of our Sal- 
vation 589 

Twenty-Fourth Wednesday after Pentecost. — On the Graces which 
we liave abused and neglected, and of which we shall have to 
render a strict account at the Day of Judgment 591 

Twenty-Fourth Thursday after Pentecost. — On Religious Discipline, 
and the care that ought to be observed by a Religious in keeping 
his Rules 593 

Tweniy-Fourth Friday after Pentecost. — On these Words, ** But pray 

that your Flight be not in the Winter" 596 

Twenty-Fourth Saturday a>ter Pentecost. — ^Sarae Subject continued. 598 

Eighth of September. — The Festival of the Holy !N"ame of Mary. On 

Sunday within the Octave of her Nativity. On the Holy Name 

of Mary 600 

First of November. — Feast of all Saints. On the Happiness of all 

Saints 602 

Twenty -First of November. — Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed 

Virgin. On the Offering our Blessed Lady made of herself to God 606 

IMMOVABLE FEASTS OF THE YEAR. 

Eighth of December. — Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the 

Blessed Virgin. On the Grace of her Conception. Seepage.... 188 

Second of February. — Purification of the Blessed Virgin, On the 

Virtues she practised in the Temple. See page 191 

Tw^enty-Fifth of March. — Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, On 

the Mystery. See page SSY 

Second of July. — Feast of the Visitation. On the Mystery. See page 474 
Tenth of August. — Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. First Mecfita- 

tion. On the Death of the Blessed Virgin. See page 476 

Second Meditation. On the Resurrection of the Blessed Virgin. See 

page 478 



THE END. 



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